The Baffling Treatment of Dragon Age Past In The Veilguard

[@bettybeebop]

"The fate of Redcliffe is the fate of Ferelden" - King Calenhad In a final missive at the very end of the game (super easy to miss if you just want to get the game over and done with like I did) it's revealed that Redcliffe has also fallen. --- Message from the Front - The Drums of War "Yet I fear that even Skyhold won't be sufficient. Already the darkspawn have claimed Redcliffe, and the shores of Lake Calenhad writhe with the blight's corruption. Our land sickens and dies, and I fear that whoever among Ferelden's people live through this relentless assault will starve to death instead. It's a cruel fate for those who have already been through so much. Skyhold stands as firm as the rock of the mountains themselves, but stone provides little sustenance. The Chasind and Avvar hunt and bring food, but even they return empty-handed more often than not." --- This game is not a 'soft' reboot in any sense of the word - they went absolutely scorched earth on everything we ever did in the previous games. How they treated the legacy of the first three games is abysmal and is an obvious attempt to make a clean slate - not to even mention the stupid 'twist' of the magical illuminati reveal at the end. I have no idea who on earth this game was made for, but it certainly wasn't for anyone who ever loved the world of Thedas.

[@theKouto]

...

[@Fankas2000]

"the first three games" Like there ever is going to be a sequel to this dog shit :D

[@Kevc00]

I fell in love with Dragon Age in Origins and the Fereldan are my OGs, it has actually pissed me off so much that they would just wipe everything the Hero of Ferelden did.

[@vit4mint685]

the game was made for a bunch of freaks and losers. every single characters is a self-insert.

[@marcussawyer4751]

Imagine if they are stupid enough to make those Shadowy figures turn up as The Hero of Ferelden, Hawke and The Inquisitor... One would hope they learn from this fanfiction's abject failure, but i'm starting to think they just want scorched earth to drive home their idiotic "out with the old" narrative

[@DavidM_10]

Having Ferelden destroyed by Blight just a couple of decades after our Warden saved it from Blight is such an insult.

[@WilDBilL6969]

I don't understand why you would play this game if you know that the lgbtq created this game and they s*** on everything that wasn't gay or queer

[@Multistrangedude1]

@@DavidM_10 how? The blight came back and hit them hard, especially since the blight was made more powerful by the elven gods, and they can spawn them at will rather than using broodmothers

[@Mkrause762]

@@Multistrangedude1that's stupid

[@derpdude42]

​@@Multistrangedude1lmao look at you, you're probably corrine busch using a secret account

[@Multistrangedude1]

@derpdude42 ...no this is my main account

[@ChaseYojimbo]

So they intentionally retconned and killed off the rest of the Dragon Age setting? Fucking shameless.

[@Multistrangedude1]

It was a blight being controlled by 2 elven gods and 2 Archdemons,and the elven gods made the blight stronger

[@eddielaster99]

@@Multistrangedude1 Dude the issue with this isn't that its illogical that the south was destroyed, its that it is extremely narratively unsatisfying. I mean if you really want to burn everything that came before down at least let us see it, not just give us few lines of dialogue and notes. We've had three huge games to get invested in these lands only for them to basically get written out of the story, it's very sad to see what such a great franchise has been reduced to.

[@Multistrangedude1]

@@eddielaster99 shit happens, every previous blight before the 5th which there was only 1 Archdemon and no elven gods did the same thing everytime, tell me you don't know the lore without telling me you don't know the lore lmao The darkspawn were apparently stronger in this game as well and the elven gods could just make them, given all that it makes sense, sure it sucks to see most of it get washed away, but there still some hope, as there are still people, they just made it a lot easier to actually make games in that world, again it might be lazier, but at a certain point there are too many different decisions people could have made to be able to make a game

[@Schumilex5]

​@@Multistrangedude1i think your opinion is right over there sir, right in the garbage bin

[@baddogkelevra1]

@@Multistrangedude1​​⁠you have the reading comprehension of a parrot, which explains why you defend this abomination of a game. The commenter above just explained to you how it isn’t the logic of the destruction that’s bad, it’s that it’s narratively unsatisfying. The writers just destroyed the most iconic places in this world, offscreen, with no player involvement whatsoever. If Denerim falls and we witness it, that could be a dramatic and emotional moment. But for it to happen offscreen? Pathetic.

[@GTD_Galatea]

So, Bioware exterminated Southern Thedas offscreen so that they wouldn't have to take into account the decisions the player made in previous games of the franchise. This is absolutely disgusting. I fear they'll do something even worse with Mass Effect 5.

[@swagdaddy8298]

More like so they can't make games in Southern Thedas anymore since it was destroyed, so they make a bunch of reboot with a trash-quality story and writing for a quick cash grab instead

[@Hma-q2g]

Considering Veilguard had a terrible development cycle, as long as what happened to Veilguard doesn’t happen to Mass Effect, ME5 should be better.

[@IllJoy]

@@Hma-q2g Don't hold your breath.

[@whinybritches]

Look at ME3 and look at Andromeda. The steep quality slope is already there

[@smithynoir9980]

@@Hma-q2g Not holding out any hope. If you want to be excited for a grand rpg, check out Exodus. It's made by the actual people that made BioWare great during the days of KotOR, ME1-2 and Dragon Age: Origins. There's only a little out for it so far, but imo, what's there looks exceptionally promising.

[@domuk7844]

Ever since inquisition grey wardens are essentially just faceless cannon fodder

[@randomcenturion7264]

One of the many reasons I hate Inquisition and had zero hopes for this game

[@tacoblocko]

Honestly, they've been shitting on wardens since DA2 I feel like...but it's especially egregious in DAI. So many people in DAI just HATE the wardens for no reason. Part of why I dislike the mage Vivienne

[@burtreynolds8030]

@@randomcenturion7264you’re going to ping the orange circle and you’re going to like it!

[@SplendidFactor]

@@tacoblocko No one likes the warrior until the enemy is at the gates, and once the enemy is gone, they hate him again. That's basically the story of the Wardens in Dragon Age. Even in Origins, the Wardens are disliked and even got exiled because they played politics by trying to meddle in Fereldan Succession. King Meric being the one who ended their exile.

[@KnightspaceORG]

​@@SplendidFactorYes, but it has been centuries since the last blight emerged before origins and wardens proved themselves yet again. Veilguard takes place, what, 20 years after the fifth blight? Are you telling me that rulers and people in general just forgot about all of their deeds in less than it takes for a human to grow up? It was always a cop out.

[@sainsburyshopper]

Classic Trojan Horse. “Look at this, it’s the IP you like!” *Buys product* “Actually, it’s not the IP you like. It’s MY thing, and ONLY my thing. Listen to the message, read the new BETTER story, enjoy MY game.” If their ideas and stories were worthwhile they would’ve made their own thing.

[@БогданМаксименко-ь4э]

Only this time it seems people became much smarter and did not buy into the lies of marketers and developers and the game did not sell even 1 million copies, although in order to simply break even the game needs to sell at least 4 million copies for the full price

[@ricardokojin7]

At this point, I blame it on the people still buying it.

[@smithynoir9980]

@@ricardokojin7 Honestly, same. Uncritical consumers are the sole reason and motivation for companies to keep acting with such a shallow understanding of the product or service and to treat customers with such disdain.

[@RikkeDK1996]

ironically they also say, dont like it dont buy it. while marketing as "return to form" through paid reviews. these people are literally scum.

[@planescaped]

But Dustborn and Concord did so well. Oh wait...

[@JonathanDorikt]

They should have made a new IP instead of trashing Everything. 🗑️

[@FerunaLutelou]

But look how many retards bought the game just cause of name recognition. That's what they wanted.

[@j_smith92]

They tried. Concord, Unknown 9, Dustborn. All flopped hard, forgotten and unsold

[@jaredfrancis5062]

@@j_smith92 and the only reason this game sold, even as miserably as it did, was because of the Title Dragon Age.

[@markhynes1230]

The point is to trash existing things. Part of the ideology is to supplant any kind of escapism. They see this as an absolute win, regardless 9f the game flopping

[@j_smith92]

@markhynes1230 I don't think they see Concord as a win. They leech off famous franchises because they want to sell their ideology to at least some people, because it doesn't sell on its own merit. The more copies sold, the more propaganda is pushed. 2 birds with 1 stone

[@throw-to-the-bin]

To add to the point of Dragon Age not having bad endings. Origins played this majestically by not having purely 'good' outcomes, either. Every decision 'good or bad' had 'draw backs', making you thinking deeply and philosophically about the matter. Who would you rather side with? The clever and progressive dwarf prince who has spilled the blood of his family for his own gain? Or the loyal genuine good intending advisor of the late king who will instead dig his heels deeper into isolationism, condemning his already declining society to further misery?

[@ВалерийПойманов-н1ы]

I remember how I help a dwarf, who had faith in Andraste, to gain a permission for preaching and it caused religious conflicts between dwarfs and a holy crusade on thaig Damn...

[@dantepizza6310]

If you play a dwarven noble, the prince is actually not as evil as he seems, his older brother was killing off the competition to the thrown and very well may be the cause of his father's death.

[@KutluMizrak]

What is egregious especially, if you sided with progressive Dwarf prince... that does nothing. In veilguard, you have a magic using Dwarf. An actual titan blood reborn. Aaaaaand orzammar refuses to acknowledge her. Cool.

[@abcdefghij337]

“Evil cannot create. It can only corrupt and destroy what the forces of good have already made.” Continue to gatekeep. Dragon Age ended with the Rise of the Dread Wolf. Veilguard is a fantasy what-if spin-off.

[@roe_k]

Veilguard is the Garbage Tumblr AU we didn't need and didn't ask for.

[@Rodrigo-n4o]

I was so excited for dread wolf for years. wtf happened?

[@NebLleb]

Oh, sod off, Anti-SJW. You're just as bad as the people behind The Veilguard.

[@Keram-io8hv]

@@Rodrigo-n4o EA and their plans for having it as MMO and then later kicking the rest of old guard

[@knightheaven8992]

​@@Rodrigo-n4osolas the dread wolf is barely in it...

[@chilbiyito]

On the small segment about Traash, her mother was understanding towards her but Traash is just an asshole and the game never acknowledges her asshole behavior it's always brushed off.

[@twinzzlers]

It's because she's a self insert, can't have the head writer's favorite pet ever be held accountable

[@EM-vw7im]

​@@twinzzlersMajor reason why it felt like fanfiction and not professional level writing g.

[@leila13dnd]

Taash as a character has so many problems and so much bad and contradictory writing it's just sad.

[@laura5515]

Why does Taash even have a mother? I thought Qunari never knew their parents...🤔

[@pillarmenn1936]

@@laura5515 Traash was raised outside of the Qun so that's why.

[@MoreImbaThanYou]

The concept of Canon only exists as long as we let it exist. It's fiction. And personally, I prefer to not accept Veilguard into the worlds timeline.

[@courier6448]

Same way i view the star wars sequels

[@AlexisSanchezIIVVV]

Yep, Solas just destroy Vale and DA4 just near-death hallucinations of Varric

[@aerondight3029]

I was so hoping they would save the franchise by having the Hero of Ferelden come back, cured of his/her taint and lead the battle against Solas. Unfortunately Bioware made me identify as non-BUYnary 😆 Hard to believe that Mass Effect even exists, with all the continuity of previous games impacting later games and characters from previous games having massive roles in later games

[@smithynoir9980]

I endorse this fully. Another good example of such is that Command and Conquer 3: Kanes Wrath was the last Command and Conquer game. There was no 4th entry.

[@smithynoir9980]

@@aerondight3029 They'll butcher the next Mass Effect too. But fret not, check out Exodus.

[@Sivrn-Val]

Two things that were red flags for me about the writing team. 1. One of the main writers had no ideas who Zevran was when asked if he would be mentioned by the Crows. 2. The writer who was hyping up his SI.. y'know, Traash. Yeah he apparently _despises_ Origins.

[@beccaf.3294]

WTF!?!? I didnt know the devs had no idea about Zevran.... he comes back (in a terrible model) for DA2... did they only know of inquisition!?!? Why do all these devs get to work on games in an IP they hate?? Insane

[@gman4988]

@@beccaf.3294They probably didnt even play inquisition, let alone Origins

[@fkaluis]

do you have any proof or links about what you’re saying btw?

[@shah5321]

A writer who didn't know his/her characters... Absolute gold

[@Nicottia]

@@fkaluis On IGN's YT channel there was that interview, the one where someone mentioned Zevran and the writers had no idea who he was, well, Corinne knew but called him sexist and misogynistic. And the thing about Traash's writer hating DAO? Yeah, it was an interview on IGN's website and a bunch of his tweets on X bashing DAO... Also, yeah, there is a high probability it all was taken down or edited, since IGN retroactively changed their Veilturd score from 9/10 to 7/10... not to mention a lot of shills took down their tweets on X bragging how well Veilturd sold. Jason Schrier? Took down his tweet. David Gaider? Probably (cba checking tbh) took down his tweet calling fans 'tourists'... But what they forget is that people took screenshots, we have youtube vids discussing all of that, as in, once something gets out on the web, well, it stays there, even if you attempt to delete it or self censor.

[@liltshore]

I think any fan of dragon age should’ve known it was going to be a bad game when they gave Varric a beard.

[@Super-Godzilla99]

he would hated himself for wearing a beard because he doesn`t like beards.

[@Pendergast891]

I saw that and what light i had in my eyes left at that exact moment

[@PixieDrag0ns-r1h]

Agreed... my first thought was. "WTF you are supposed to be a ginger! you are supposed to be the not dwarfiest dwarf that has ever not dwarf. are you under threat? did your chest hair crawl up to your face? is this your attempt to be in disguise? wth?"

[@vandemark1760]

At this point, I'm not even angry, just frustrated and disappointed that after so many years spent waiting, this is what we got.

[@ElectricGatr]

Heartbroken honestly

[@aistisnarmontas4515]

It was the Best they could deliver after so many years with staff and management they currently have ;D

[@justprivatelywatching0293]

Oh I'm VERY angry. They've shit all over one of my favourite settings, and they didn't even have the good grace to do it COMPETENTLY. Screw the companies and people involved in making this.

[@mattmark94]

The Bioware we all loved is gone, you should have realized that years ago. The story ended with Inquisition and eventually the Inquisitor stopped Solas, by either killing him or convincing him that what he was doing is wrong.

[@jb4554]

Exactly! All this time and this is what they gave us. Literally a pile of poop for a cash grab. From followers.

[@16Vagabond]

I could have accepted the crows becoming such a completely different faction, if we'd learned that Zevran had finally successfuly taken over. If anyone would try to drastically change them to be considerably less fucked up, it would have been him. He was my first romance in any dragon age ever, so his story and traumas regarding the brutal treatment he was subjected to as a child recruited into the crows always stuck with me. I was ready to hate the shit out of the crows and be very conflicted about helping them in Veilguard, but the version of the crows we see in this game are definitely NOT the same as the one that was estabilished in past lore. But then again apparently the devs didn't even know who Zevran was when interviewed...despite having brought back his voice actor to play the american male inquisitor.

[@jaredfrancis5062]

retcons really started in Inquisition with the Qunari but this was just awful. at some point they retconned the extinction of griffins, physically travelling in the fade is apparently no big deal. no longer need to be a Grey Warden to kill an Archdemon. Hell even the Old Gods are retconned into simply being enslaved High Dragons. Then what the hell was Keiran playing host to? God I hate this game so much.

[@legate-lanius]

@@jaredfrancis5062THIS RIGHT HERE, I hope the people who worked on this game see your comment 🙏🙏

[@jamesavis1]

@@jaredfrancis5062 Dwarves can also use magic now apparently

[@RobbieLugo]

@@jaredfrancis5062 the old gods were demons not dragon atleast the elven gods and they state this in both inquisition and veilguard and even origins

[@jaredfrancis5062]

@@RobbieLugo I doubt they were "Demons" more likely powerful spirits like Justice but are referred to as demons as many "false Gods" are. the chantry is just fantasy catholic church after all.

[@Aether776]

Sten, Ohgren and Shale completely forgotten Wynne died in a book nobody cared about Zevran showed himself shortly in DA2 and never seen again Leliana is a completely different character in Inquisition The only ones who kinda got away with it was Morrigan and Alistair, and the latter barely showed up since Origins. I've ALWAYS had a suspicion, ever since Inquision, that modern BioWare either hates, or have a massive displeasure in Origins existence, This game solidified my theory.

[@cttommy73]

Inquisition was the beginning of the end for Bioware. The story and lore itself was retconned and destroyed just to fit modern Bioware's weirdo devs.

[@koltyrion4188]

Yeah people at BioWare really hate Origins for some reason. I don't really know why because it's a literal recipe for a good game on a plate. Better graphic, more gameplay ideas, streamline a little bit and we would have a really good game. Its a shame that these days AAA corporations hire some goofs instead of people with Passion for these series. Going back to play Pillars of Eternity 2 because they destroyed another one of great franchises

[@vahlen5281]

​@@koltyrion4188 They hate Origins because they know that they lack the talent to produce something even remotely similar in quality.

[@СергейИванов-г1э7д]

I don't think they hate Origins exactly. They just don't know what to do with it. Especially since they certainly want to do their own thing. So ignoring and hand-waving this stuff as unimportant is the easiest decision.

[@johnpantag472]

​​@@cttommy73 false statement lmao. Inquisition has the most interesting lore out of all 3 games.

[@yukachan4165]

So they killed Alistair and the Warden and probably many others off screen yeah big no, that just feels like a kick in the face to everyone who spent hours in the previous games saving Ferelden 💀

[@JJJBunney001]

No... where does it say any of that in game?

[@EM-vw7im]

​@@JJJBunney001It is the very clear implication of ferelden being destroyed, it's a retcon of almost the entire story and lore up to today.

[@Gotten1888]

@@EM-vw7im why not just mention how the new Blight is fucking up everything? with heroic battles taking place, desperate retreats and counter attacks, the clock is running to stop them and help those people, nahhhhh everyone is dead jim, best to move on and save the people here, except when a party member wants to have a fucking picnic....

[@zeikers]

@@EM-vw7im it doesn’t say fereldren is destroyed lol relax, this guy has no idea what he’s talking about cuz he didn’t play the game. They tell you that the south is falling cuz of the blight

[@STEVEYTHEEXEEVEE]

@@zeikers veilguard defender found! cant even get his own info right! point and laugh!

[@WarsmithThanatos]

"Let the past die. Kill it, if you have to." -new Bioware employees probably

[@LocksAndChains]

You’d think that this company would’ve seen what happened to Star Wars and understand what not to do.

[@SandyCheeks1896]

Dude that exact quote is what I thought of as well. It’s like in 2017 the entire culture got matching orders from the top down to destroy everything we loved.

[@SonAlexander]

This line from “The Last Jedi” NEVER sat right with me, even back then. Way before I fully knew what woke was. Now, it’s the motto of the woke/ communists.

[@MsIvalane]

Don't assign words you don't know the meaning to - this isn't 'woke' it's insulting pandering. It's deeply offensive whitewashing (not in the racial sense, but with the intention to make everything as Advertiser Friendly inoffensive as possible) to purge anything that might be perceived as complex or grey morality. This is the shallow, fearful writing that capitalism has brought us, not communism. If the advertisers don't like it, it won't happen. No complex criticisms can be lobbed, because what if one of the money men takes it personally; we can't offend the delicate wallet's feelings.

[@kingban1613]

Talentless political activists make shit art.

[@blueboylugos4920]

The 'secret ending' is the biggest insult to dragon age players I've ever seen in gaming. The ending gets rid of all agency of every villain ever absolutely disgusting

[@mattmark94]

just like finding out that there was no free will in the MCU thank to that awful Loki show

[@unturned6066]

​@@mattmark94there was free will, you'd just getting wiped if you took an unacceptable choice

[@AquariusScanner]

​@@mattmark94 You mean the comic book world where it is repeatedly acknowledged as a medium that exists and is not a real world? Yeah there not being free will is literal, they are written characters. That checks out just fine dude. The medium is no stranger to 4th wall shenanigans and greater metaphysical concepts than a video game handled by a bunch of trannies

[@colvamoon6962]

Wrong. We don't know the extent of their manipulation. It's actually a great setup for a Dark Fantasy antagonist... If it wasn't screwed over by EVERYTHING else in the game.

[@greaterfrustration607]

@@unturned6066is it really free will if your going to get melted and replaced with the ‘correct version’ for literally doing something as simple as walking right instead of left? That agency gets real dark when you start thinking about it.

[@chaos9059]

This feels spiteful and petty. Bioware elites got laid off. No severance package. Veilguard doesn't have the keep. Player choices are ignored. In favor of telling the writers story. A story that feels like an A03 reject. Then to shoehorn their clean slate. They pretty much nuke Thedas. The new bioware hates the old guard. And they seem to hate us too.

[@siennahartle9069]

I could accept them ignoring the keep if they had just picked a default world state that incorporated characters from all the past games. Aside from Varric and Solas everything in this game feels so disconnected from the rest of the games it doesn’t even feel like dragon age anymore.

[@Bro-dot-]

The story is written by person responsible for DAI/Trespasser. New writers are mostly in dialogue.

[@aerondight3029]

This all started with DA:I though, and honestly DA 2 as well. Bioware hates DA Origins for some reason, the constant vast changes in art direction and the tone of the games keeps pushing the franchises' original fans further and further away, and now we identify as non-BUYnary 😆

[@Bro-dot-]

@@aerondight3029 Yep, DAO is a stand alone and DA2-DAVG is more of a trilogy story. Bioware doesn't hate DAO, it's focus was just on this trilogy and I mean DAI is the most popular DA game keep in mind. Shame some of DAO fans strayed with DA2/DAI but DA5 is prob gonna be a more complete soft-reboot so I hope it goes back to more gritty-dark mature realism. Depends on who is the leads and on new/veteran talent they get in between.

[@smithynoir9980]

@@Bro-dot- Which really begs the question, what happened to them that their writing abilities deteriorated even further over the last decade?

[@MrPWN96]

Having a Dwarven companion that suddenly can use magic, yet *nobody* at all is slightly alarmed by it was my first inkling that the lore was extra loose this time around. I get it's part of the companion story or whatever, but how could not a single person among a team of multiple mages not be alarmed/interested in a dwarf with sudden connection to the fade that they themself describe as feeling foreign to her.

[@xxchecoxx]

All the build up from Inquisition for Solas to be the big bad for this game went down the drain

[@noctoi]

It might be "just a video game" but it's a universally beloved and respected video game that birthed a new generation of CRPG players and singlehandedly redefined what "CRPG meant. It's also "just a video game" that I poured THOUSANDS Of hours into over 23 full completes and 34ish total replays. And that's just Origins, I'm not even counting Awakenings, DA:2 or DA:I. It's "just a video game" that we grew up with and adored and still replay 15 years on, and I will never forgive the current devs for killing it. I'll also never forgive Gaider for calling us OG customers "fucking tourists". I'm done. I don't trust bioware with Dragon Age anymore, and I don't trust them to do Mass Effect justice either. I'll never buy another game from them, even if by some twisted miracle they DO manage to recapture that lightning in a bottle.

[@theKouto]

Indeed. I never understand this bullshit argument of "it's just a videogame" Tell that to someone who loves any sort of sports. It's just football". Get the hell out of here, what are these ppl saying. It's way more then just a videogame, it's something that we relate to on a deeper level. It's part of our lives. If Bioware wants to do something completely different, then go for it, they did it multiple times in the 90s and 00s. Don't use the Dragon Age brand and completely discontextualize everything that made it what it is in first place. Going out of their way to actually kill South Thedas...they hate what this game was. And they are making sure it's completely gone If you ask me. Ridiculous.

[@ElectricGatr]

Agreed. Heartbroken to say the least.

[@Schumilex5]

thats right bro, even with "" its just a game lmao glad u agree, i was looking forward for a triple A rpg tho kinda sadge this shit is all they managed to pull off

[@irena4545]

@@theKouto They've done it to Star Wars, they're doing it to Tolkien, now to Dragon Age... There really seems to be some kind of hatred towards achievements of the past.

[@EM-vw7im]

Cant count jow many videos or comments where I've written paragraphs and paragraphs about this. So I'll shorten it, the world of dragon age means a lot to me, it's my favorite universe(and I'm an avid fantasy reader) and I still remember seeing that first dao commercial, and how hyped I was. Incredibly sad that I'll never relive that now.

[@무군]

King Alistair is dead? Off-screen? Just like that?

[@adrenjones9301]

If the game is like 30 years after the first Game, he would be close to the calling or already dead anyway. Which would have been amazing, a Game were an old King Alistair takes on the role of Duncan.

[@MacabreDaymare]

@@adrenjones9301Why did BioWare make most of their comics and their own canon to have Alistair king if they were just going to torch everything?

[@burtreynolds8030]

@@MacabreDaymareI’d put my money on the company being completely full of new suits and they would rather make a name for themselves then give someone else credit, also I guarantee most people over there see old dragon age as “problematic”

[@adrenjones9301]

@@MacabreDaymare Because Bioware died years ago.

[@Keram-io8hv]

@@adrenjones9301 20 years mostly

[@adrian_veidt]

"Why won't these hack writers just make a new IP instead of destroying established ones?" Well, they tried. With Unknown 9 and Concord and look how bad they fucced up.

[@sanderkiki]

Anthem for bioware lol, thats what Bioware of new age can "create", but even worse cuz it has even less experienced devs who can actually make games.

[@Richforce1]

The destruction IS the point. These people want us demoralized, so we'd join them in the impossible task of creating a socialist utopia.

[@neloverg3774]

​@sanderkiki You can blame EA for really gutting Bioware and Bioware for shitty management too.

[@jled787]

They tried and the games failed. They would rather also destroy what was beloved if they could not succeed

[@GuilhermeLPC]

They tried with Shadow Realms and it didn't even make it into full production, then they tried with Anthem and you know how it went. Andromeda sold well because of the IP but was garbage in comparison to the previous games, Veilguard supposedly sold badly, which does not bode well for the company. 4 relative failures in a row is not a good look.

[@_NE0]

This is the perfect representation of what I felt when i played veilguard, it is so disconnected from previous games. Weishaupt is under attack and hero of fereldan is missing, like come on...I was fully expecting warden to involved atleast to some extent.

[@theKouto]

And its disconnected in any possible shape and form they could find lol people say its a soft reboot, but honestly, it feels more like a hardcore reboot. I'm morbidly curious to see the potential shitshow that Mass Effect 5 will be. I guess Exodus is really the next best thing we might get from what really was Bioware.

[@SirUlrichVL]

That would most likely have started a domino effect on what choices were carried over and Bioware having to deal with the variables, so, many, many variables. Some Wardens didn't even see the aftermath of the battle having made ultimate sacrifice having not allowed Morrigan to perform the dark ritual. They would have also had to account for the choice in Inquisition regarding the fate of the Wardens, meaning even when Rook gets to Weishaupt acknowledging how the Wardens are perceived by people and of course how the Wardens perceive the Inquisition. There is then the question of other potential cameos that could have been. One example would be Shale from Origins, whom could have gone to Tevinter like one of her potential outcomes was. Fenris could've been there having been given back to his former master by Hawke (yeah that'd never be allowed with modern Bioware). Then there is the question of whether Hawke got Isabella to give the book back or not that she had stolen or if he had handed her over to the Arishok. Whether the Inquisitor was best buddies or not with Dorian, whom the Divine was, whom the Arishok was (as could or might not have been Sten). Or basically, do what they did and just wipe it all under the carpet and leave it with just choices relating to ole Egghead even though Morrigan has been in the series the longest her variables were totally erased.

[@vandemark1760]

What frustrates me even more is that they had ten years to take all your choices into account and create a good game. Except, for some reason, they started developing it as a multiplayer online game despite having little to no success in such a category in the past. And then they fired writers who've been working on Dragon Age since the very beginning. You'll notice that two of the best characters in the series, Loghain and Varric, were gutted in this game, likely because their writer, Mary Kirby, was one of the employees they fired.

[@Pastafari4]

Yeah. Sure, Inquisition they're off looking for a cure to the Calling, but not just an attack on Weisshaupt, but another blight? They'd HAVE to answer.

[@sterenn726]

​@@vandemark1760Loghain? He was still alive in Veilguard?

[@206Zelda]

The only saving grace is that Duncan wasn't alive to see this happen to Dragon Age, especially Fereldan. Not after giving his life to save it.

[@r.e.z9428]

At least Andromeda took place in another galaxy.

[@nomadicdruid007]

Exactly! That is actually one thing I love about that game. Yes, I think that was a wise decision in hindsight, I'd rather them sidestep the issue of following on from the story of previous games then destroy the legacy of your characters, I worry they might go down that road with the next Mass effect to deal with the difficulty of following on from the variable world states that could have happened as a result of ME3. (Did the Geth Survive, the Quarians, The Rachni, Krogan Genephage truely cured, How will they get around that, the easiest way would be to destroy it all).

[@panzer00]

"One where _our_ moral compass is not judged but tested." That is a beautiful statement.

[@saberknight8545]

This game is a fucking insult to wardens of all world states, but specially to ultimate sacrifice wardens, oh boi, did these writers shit on those warden tombs in Weisshaupt like they were nothing.

[@martilyn3502]

The Hero Of Ferelden would not have let it fall so easily, but if course no mention of them. They've made it so no other DA game can take place in Ferelden again. Nevermind that that is the place that started most peoples love of DA. Ferelden is like a second home for a lot of us and they just destroyed it without the option for the player to try and save it. I refuse to buy this game and it makes me more sad than anything. Great analysis tho, really enjoyed your views on the matter.

[@dmsviola1]

It's funny, because from a narrative perspective there's a reason why the Warden never returned to the series. Compared to the other protagonists, the Warden is basically Thedas' Doom Guy. By the end of the game, he or she is so immensely overpowered compared to what's mechanically achievable in DAII and DA:I, so if HoF decided to get shit done, it'd be done. I'm expected to believe that the Warden wouldn't have finished the quest to end the Calling in 10 years, and also wouldn't fight to protect southern Thedas? Or, even more unlikely, are we supposed to assume the Warden is dead? Because I'm sure a good number of us played Heroes who would only let Fereldan fall after their corpse was cold.

[@ghost3337]

​@dmsviola1 while I was able to make a pretty overpowered Hawke in DA2, my DAO mage likely does have him beat.

[@ElectricGatr]

❤Hero of Ferelden

[@RobbieLugo]

game takes place 10 years after inquisition even the inquisitor says ferelden is not a great place right now with the new blight only redcliffe is safe

[@MacabreDaymare]

They literally left the Hero’s storyline a cliffhanger with the letter in Inquisition.

[@TrwWilson]

So Veilgaurd is the new Kill The Justice League?

[@theKouto]

Don't really know much about what happened to Kill The Justice League tbh! Just that it flopped hard xD

[@ichigokage]

KTJL still sucks and is soulless but Veilguard actively destroyed anything from the past games by essentially proclaiming everything is ruined no matter what choices you chose. And btw there’s a shadow government that is behind everything evil.

[@NebLleb]

@@theKouto TBH, it's more reminiscent of a videogame equivalent to Underworld: Awakening, if you ask me. Like that movie, they cast aside everything from the original trilogy in terms of plot so they can rehash a new, crappier one. Only this time it has the added benefit of also being an excuse to push far-left politics, thus giving hateful reactionaries more fuel to grift and indoctrinate people onto their side.

[@dark_fire_ice]

More like they did a Age of Sigmarines

[@dark_fire_ice]

​@@NebLlebcan't blame one side for their propaganda and not the other. The left and right are both filled with people that view words like "morals" and "ethics" as horrible, dirty curse words that have no place in their utopia they think they can make. (Now I don't blame them too much, having a lot of experiences dealing with delusions)

[@tjones7341]

It honestly feel like Veilguard was specifically made to spite the fans. Like they wanted to destroy everything we loved, all the lore we learned,all the choices we made, all the memories we created.

[@hal0dude7]

9:00 we actually have lore from DAO which tells us that if a Qunari is so good at doing a role meant for the opposite gender, they can do that, and then they will be considered to be that gender going forward. So if a woman becomes a warrior due to her superior martial abilities, she is no longer a woman. Which, honestly, is a very unique and cool take on ‘gender fluidity’ and it would’ve been great if they explored that instead of whatever they did here.

[@imtooold21]

thanks for that input. I dont remember that, but it's been a looong time

[@johnShadow12]

corection that was dai not orgins.

[@lorewalkermaohao4602]

​​@@imtooold21 Sten tells a female warden that she can either be a woman or a warrior. It starts out with him pointing out that she looks like a woman but clearly she acts as a warrior. So he confronts her and outright asks if she is a woman or a warrior. If the warden answers she is both, Sten more or less says that is impossible. One can maybe take this to be implied that if there are female qunari that fight, they are no longer considered women. But considering Sten also goes on to talk how someone's role in the Qun is determined at birth, that implication seems unlikely. However, the Qun does have terms for people who change roles too. To use Sten's specific example, a farmer who becomes a merchant is neither a farmer nor a merchant, but will be referred to as Farmer-Turned-Merchant. This could mean there are also terms for female warriors, but for them it would still be whatever role they had before -turned-warrior. And they would never be considered true warriors and neither would they ever be considered their original role. Which is still in line with the words Sten said in DAO. A female artisan-turned-warrior would never be considered a woman, because women can't be warriors. And neither are they considered real warriors.

[@cammyshill3099]

What piece of lore was that? That's kinda the conclusion I came to after Inquisition, that I felt still made sense with what we knew about the Qun, but I couldn't quite remember lore on this topic specifically from Origins.

[@n0ttomuch65]

@@lorewalkermaohao4602 Sten latter aknowlages that female warden is both a warrior and a woman

[@christopherhenson50]

3:15 Don’t forget Dragon Age Origins Awakening DLC. Did you save Amaranthine and Wardens Keep? lol so much for that. Both are a hole in the ground now.

[@yersiniopestis2553]

Ferelden falling doesn't make sense, at all. The Hero of Ferelden, besides maybe a few decisions you could make, does what they do in order to save it. Most of the decisions you make in the game, is to ensure that Ferelden survives the blight and brings back stability. You side with the elves or bring about an army of werewolves that are sided with Wardens, you pick a side of the dwarven monarchy, you reestablish the templar order, you resolve a civil war that killed hundreds of thousands of people, you kill the arch demon. The fact that the Hero of Ferelden failed despite bringing the worlds literal devil to his knees and killing it in a years time of becoming a warden; is such an insult to your efforts in the first game.

[@dcghoul101]

The creators of this game have a "year zero" mentality. They ignore, erase, or destroy everything that happened before them. "The past is old and antiquated, and we - very 'bright minds' - will burn it to the ground to shape the present and future our way."

[@BlueBD]

The past does not exist, which is why everything they do is the "First" even when they are infact. not the first and why they ignore all previous things that technically They would support. but they wont because it was not made by them.

[@vaevictis2789]

They reminds me of early soviet futurist poets and writers who hated classic russian literature with burning passion and actively tried to erase it from culture and history. Like "we will throw Pushkin off the ship of modernity" and so on. Seems like they feel the same way, but try to hide it in public so the fanbase can be fooled into paying them

[@karandullet380]

What they forgot is that those who forget about their past are doomed to repeat it

[@dcghoul101]

@@vaevictis2789 I think you are right. This mindset appears everywhere (movies, TV shows, comics, and so on). (In my opinion) Veilguard damages the franchise just as much as the sequel trilogy harmed Star Wars. I wonder what other things I like will follow the same path.

[@jjhh320]

​​@@vaevictis2789 that's because, as certain groups would say, they are marksist and their education and social circles as artists facilitate marksist perspectives...so they run around thinking their glorious moment is in whatever form of student revolution they can recreate...if not physical, then metaphorical, by dethroning your art and what it meant to you, and inserting their new but amateurish way and demanding you love it

[@quatreraberbawinner2628]

"its just a video game" " its just a movie" "its just a comic" "its just a cartoon" No its my culture

[@xavierhouston4650]

People that type those things would still accept dessert if I crapped on it.

[@MaffyTaffyHaffy]

Gamer…..touch grass….its okay….i promise

[@astrojeet]

One correction I would make is that the Antaam actually are not Qunari, they are a sect that broke away from the Qun. They are basically the Venatori type cultists of the Qunari. But that also means the Ben Hassrath of the Qunari would be duty bound to actually hunt down these dissidents which never happens. In fact the actual Qunari are not even mentioned in the game. The new Arishok aka Sten might as well not exist.

[@jaredfrancis5062]

Sten would not have tolerated the existence of Taash.

[@sanderkiki]

Devs of this new trashguard literally avoided all nuances in lore and made something so tasteless and sterile its almost commendable, if it wasn't so terrible. All unique and cool characters that they can only dream be able to write are forgotten/died off-screen, many events retconned to follows writers narrow-minded logic and made these events less interesting, because people can only write characters and events to the limit of their own imagination and intellegence, and Failguard writers have none of it.

[@karandullet380]

I read somewhere that after the Antaam rebelled the arishoke sten surrendered himself to Ben-Hassrath since Antaam is the military force of the Qunari

[@mattmark94]

@jaredfrancis5062 Sten was too based (along many other characters) so the writers made them completely irrelevant and/or incompetent

[@GambledMyhouse]

The Antaam are the Qun’s military while the Ben Hassrath are it’s religious/church branch

[@N0rmandy]

what hurts me is how this game is being positively reviewed: - character designs are awful - character creation is a pain to use - dialogue feel like it was ai written - story is ass - lore is forgotten - combat is a sludge to get through - you have no real choices to make in all accounts this game is 3/10 and I give it a 3 because at least it runs on day 1 unlike many other aaa games today.

[@nocturnal03]

I'm playing the game and I'm thinking : of course it got great reviews, because it is good. What most people complain about are matters of ideology or taste or emotional reactions about their own expectations, but none of that make the game bad.

[@dantepizza6310]

Counter point, you're giving it points for what should be a standard for a day 1 release

[@Jak239JC]

​@@nocturnal03Along with selling well, it made people mad. Your entitled to your opinion but the publisher sees the game as a success and will make a new one.

[@nocturnal03]

@@Jak239JC well that's good news?

[@nautdead3197]

​@@Jak239JCfailing to sell enough copies to make your money back is a success now

[@VeronicanPlay]

You had a great adventure, made new friends, stopped evil in many places, fell in love, made hard decisions that shaped the future of so many... Just to wake up, get slapped in the face, and find out it was all a dream and none of it mattered...

[@Spike2276]

Now give us 70$ for the experience. And you better buy the DLC too! ...Wait, no, we canceled that one for... Reasons.

[@randomcenturion7264]

Our Warden would have stopped the shit. No question

[@TheMysteriouswatcher]

Except the Hero of Ferelden is long dead since in Inquisition they were already going to their Calling and this game happens almost 10 years after...

[@CryoNya]

@@TheMysteriouswatcher During Inquisition Morrigan told the inquisitor that the Hero was instead on a quest to find a cure for the calling. Whether he did or not we'll never find out from the way things are going.

[@SubliminaIMessages]

@@TheMysteriouswatcher No they're not. In Inquisition if the Hero romanced Leliana they send her letters

[@johnpantag472]

Warden this warden that. Lmao he is dead get over it. Also most overrate character in all of gaming

[@Spike2276]

​@@johnpantag472 What a great point you just made there. Clearly everyone else is wrong and you're right, and clearly everyone is misremembering the Warden being very much alive and looking into the Calling in DAI.

[@raveninquisitor7012]

I honestly just kind of believe the real ending to Dragon age was Inquisition, Veilguard is some alternate reality

[@TeganHIMEsama]

Sten is mentioned in Veilguard but only as a codex entry. Stating that the entirety of the antaam turned against him, attacked him, and "almost" killed him before splitting from the Qun. It's such a lazy and horrible way to treat his character. I was such a fan of Dragon Age - especially for the lore and the story. I was beyond excited that after ten years the fourth game was finally being delivered, I tried to ignore all that was being said before its release, I told myself that while it looked different it would still be Thedas and the continuation of the story that I had loved for years - after all, Bioware writers insisted that they were fans too. But they lied and what they delivered was shit. Not a shit game but a shit excuse of a conclusion to a beloved franchise. It might be a game but I've still had a heavy pit in my stomach and a sour taste in my mouth since reaching the end of Veilguard. I have no trust in or love for Bioware anymore.

[@craignellist7277]

Not to mention that leaving the Qun makes you Tal-Vashoth they don’t get to keep the name of the Qun’s army, imagine if everyone in the US Army left to make a mercenary group and wanted to still be called the US Army 😂

[@garycannon4644]

Holy fuck that is bad what a bunch of assholes these new devs are

[@pearl_lisha896]

Shows they didn’t give a flying F about this world, lore and character continuity.

[@tyskbulle]

If only I knew that Dragon Age was going to get the Star Wars treatment I could've let go 10 years ago... Instead of this argues decade long waiting, only to be served The Last Jedi I feel your pain brothers and sisters

[@Bro-dot-]

guess you didn’t pay attention to Dragon age, there is a lot here for a dragon age game. + reveals don’t = retconns. Lots of the stuff in VG was planned way back. There is foreshadowing across all the games and they do have documents for lead writers/narrative designers for all this stuff. It’s not some crack pot ideas they came up with just for this game but if you have issues then it’s also with the writers for DA2 and DAI mostly. This is like people getting mad at the prequels not the Disney sequels. Hate the game all you want but you can’t wave this off as “new BioWare” is ONLY responsible. This is what the BioWare team came up with long ago, only now are people seeing it fold out. The new writers are mostly on dialogue and Questlines the actual story is old writers. Just like Matt Rhodes is the art director.

[@tyskbulle]

@@Bro-dot- Well obviously they worked on old ideas, its a direct sequel after all. But just like the new Star Wars movies, the writers here have made it clear they're burdened by what came before. Treating it as something restricting to their new ideas. Even the casual Dragon Age fan could advice against many their deliberate choices. Choices that has little to do with a troubled and lengthy development cycle. Some of these practices began in DA2 and Inquisition, true. But in Veilguard they take on an extreme form. Deviating far from the first three iterations in more categories cared to mention. The idea here is to create a clean slate, ignoring much fan anticipation and re-shifting the focus. Wiping off the Wardens off-screen in Inquisition was a terrible idea that could happen pending player choice. But wiping away Ferelden off-screen in Veilguard as canon is just disrespectful. A terrible idea among a mountain of bad ideas.

[@greatzeroyyfb12345]

When it comes to pushing their worldview, they never let a good IP go to waste

[@GenXGamerGirl]

I was so thrilled to see that Varric was going to be in this installment of Veilguard. They planted him in the very beginning do draw the fans in, and what they did with him was unforgivable.

[@MarwolfAeducan]

It was that point I said fuck this game non canon

[@RobbieLugo]

varrick was supposed to be killed off in DA2 but they kept him around. if you dont believe this look it up and find the facts i remember seeing it somewhere before

[@pearsemolloy9656]

And then gaslit you into thinking he was alive probably to prevent pissed off fans from dropping the game right away. It’s such a poorly done twist too since no one even reacts to his death or seems bothered by it. Not even Harding who has known him for 10 years at this point.

[@sofajockeyUK]

@@RobbieLugo He was also drafted for death in Inquisition but that bit didn't make the cut.

[@MikeThaDevil]

I see dead people.....

[@Rovarin]

Failguard isn't a game, it is a bunch of cutscenes with walking in between.

[@Feanor1988bis]

It wasn't obvious at the time, but bioware killed its ips when they added in the wheel with the good, neutral and evil choices for you to pick a morality instead of actually giving you a choice about what line you would rather have your character say, to the point that the phrase on the wheel doesn't even always match what the character will say when picking that option. It wasn't yet preachy or too incompetently done at the beginning, but we never got back to the same heights of DA: origins or the first Mass Effect in terms of writing and general role play options.

[@theKouto]

That Dialogue Wheel is 😡 always detested it. The only thing that I think DA2 did really well was solidify the art style, especially of the characters. That Dialogue Wheel can tumble just like the Tower of Babel

[@deptusmechanikus7362]

Yeah. I had sneaking suspicion modern day Bioware had a deep seated hatred for their old games, because people kept comparing their latest slop to good games the studio used to make. This feels like hacks running the show now just lashing out back at their own fans. They can't deliver on the studio's legacy, so they'll just tear it all down

[@SoldierSpiderx]

they basically destroy Ferelden and Kirkwall by the Blight so all your choice won't matter anymore, and they can restart it and do their own thing, and I won't be surprised they also kill off your hawk and your hero of Ferelden off screen to if your hero of Ferelden was alive, they basic want to be lazy as hell that it funny those morrigan in the game and she never bring up her what happened in Ferelden, not even her son if you had with her, if had a kid by her

[@ImpGoose]

"Where our moral compas is not judged but tested." A brief and informative way to describe what kind of the gameplay feature was taken from us. Thank you!

[@MetalHanyou1]

This is a common theme in video games like Veilguard; the devs want to reinforce their own version of the world, and to do that, they feel they need to destroy everything that game before. Picture in your head that scene of Bender from Futurama laughing and saying to Fry "Now I'm all you've got left!" Except in this case, Bender is the game devs, and Fry is the fans of the game franchise. They don't just want to make one more game in a franchise - they want to destroy everything that came before and salt the Earth so that all that is left is what *they* made.

[@Gotten1888]

yep, then they move onto the next world, I wonder how many trans characters will in ME5?

[@koltyrion4188]

​@@Gotten1888its not about trans characters dumbass. Its about game being designed badly. Preaching in this game is a fat stack of shoving down the throat but as the dude in the video said well written non binary character would be good. Shame that in this case its laugh worthy

[@Spike2276]

Ah yes, the 343 approach to handling a franchise. Truly a classic.

[@JamesCourse66]

So two things: It’s an insult that they are attacking the places we saved and loved, and not letting us FIGHT OR PROTECT them. All our time, allies, loves could be dead. They’re disrespecting us as players! We aren’t just Rook, WE ARE EACH DA HERO! Secondly if they are going this insane route at least have tons of our choices from the previous game matter! What if you had done 100% in DA Inquisition and the south was strong? Doesn’t matter, BECAUSE DARKSPAWN. I’m fuming.

[@AdachiSimp]

It's official. Veilguard is not canon.

[@enrique6335]

This actually upset me. The writers deliberately made it a point to distance themselves from the previous three games as much as possible and wanted Veilguard to be a soft reboot of the series. "You decisions are still there". Yeah, and now they are meaningless. This most likely means most of the people we've met before are dead. Loghain being manipulated by a shadowy cabal takes away any agency he had and the weight of his decision at Ostagar.

[@TheCatWatches]

I would’ve preferred the resolution to Solas’ story (the prologue and ending of Veilguard) be made into another Inquisition DLC where you play as Inquisitor rather than whatever Veilguard is supposed to be… As for the game Veilguard or as it should’ve been called “Dreadwolf”, Rook was just a placeholder protagonist where it should’ve been a continuation of the Inquisitor’s story. Hawke, Varric, Hero of Fereldan, and Kieran should have been companions, and I agree a lore accurate Taash could’ve been interesting. Dreadwolf is more befitting as the big bad rather than The Executors. Introducing a villain 4-5 games in as the “Palpatine behind it all” feels so un earned and takes away from the moral complexities of characters like Loghain, Meredith, and Solas. Solas the Dreadwolf had the potential to be the best Dragon Age villain since Loghain, and he was sidelined hard in favor of more one dimensional cartoon “haha I’m evil just cuz” villains who are a copy and paste of Corypheus. Veilguard should get Mass Effect Andromeda’d and struck from canon and Larian should make Dragon Age 4: Dreadwolf

[@STEVEYTHEEXEEVEE]

No. The Hero Of Fereldan should've just been the protagonist from then on. BIoware constantly came up with excuses why they couldnt show up. but it'd be better in our control again. every game didnt eactly NEED a new protagonist.

[@umapessoaqualquer3688]

They hate what came before because they can't create anything as good

[@thecircleoft.e.d2121]

It must sting them to know they’ll die not having achieved anything slightly noteworthy.

[@Shadowpack95]

They already retconned the Qunari and gender roles in Inquisition. Back in Origins Sten makes it very clear that women DO NOT FIGHT under the Qun, but Iron Bull says that women can fight if they identify as Men. Then here comes Taash who claims to be neither and when her Qun(mostly) following mother tries to find her a place as dictated by her faith, she blows up at her for trying to help, like a moody teenage girl. Also Sten or Arishok is mentioned in Veil Guard, usually in codex entries for the Antaam. After the events of Trespasser when the Qunari launched an all out assault on Tevinter but were pushed back, he ordered a ceasefire but the majority of the Antaam refused and tried to kill him, breaking away from the Qun and began attacking Rivain, a country they had actual good relations with, and Antiva which had no military.

[@matthewsimon6170]

At least with Iron Bull, it wasn't in your face, you had to ask, and even still, it required you to actually back up your claims as a supposed warrior. Then Taash quite literally makes Krem, a background character, even more unimportant by acting like the word they made up to be inclusive in a way that sounds at least remotely believable, isnt enough anymore, we need IRL words that have no meaning or place in Dragon Age. I agree Inquisition isnt perfect, but at least it tried to keep lore consistent. Veilguard doesnt and laughs while pissing on it.

[@NoahLoydOG]

I haven't played enough of the Dragon Age franchise to know for certain all the context of this video, but here's what it sounds like to me: Bethesda launches Elder Scrolls 6. It's set in a completely new and different part of the world from past games. There is a crisis where Oblivion portals start showing up and entities from beyond are trying to tip the world into chaos. Somewhere down the line, you find out that, "oh, yeah, Skyrim got lit on fire and then sunk into the north sea without a trace offscreen."

[@imtooold21]

More like Cyrodil, as that had the oblivion crisis and the hero of kvatch to end it. Now imagine the hero of kvatch never went to the shivering isles and didnt become the new sheogorath. If Cyrodil now had oblivion gates spring up again, you'd think the hero would step up again or really anyone who knew of Martin's sacrifice, especially the blades. The Hero of Ferelden might have been dead due to the shortened lifespan of grey wardens, but Alistair, your friend and grey warden companion is the king of Ferelden and literally beat back the blight with you. It's basically as if all the badasses that defeated the blight (and the country was close to collapse at that point, in a horrible state even before the blight), suddenly decided to twiddle their thumbs or get killed off screen. The elder scrolls, being focused on a single character makes the comparison difficult, but imagine another oblivion crisis 20 years after and the blades or anyone who helped you with the oblivion crisis, end up dying off screen and the hero of kvatch not even getting a mention. Hell, depending on the origin and player choices, your hero of ferelden could have become the dwarven king (the dwarves live closest to the underground darkspawn) and dealt with the threat immediately. Another character called Sten who became the Arishok of the qun, essentially a war leader and supreme general of the qunari society got a fucking mention in a codex entry about his soldiers rebelling and leaving. Qunari culture is so rigid that leaving the qun or even just disobeying the arishok is philosphically anathema to them. There is no rebellion or personal expression. Just your task. They dont even have names, they are called what their job is, Sten meaning warrior or soldier (I forget) and his title as Arishok being his new name. It just makes no sense and spits on beloved characters we fell in love with as well as our own choices that flowed into our own hero of ferelden. Why do they do this? I know why, but rather how can they... Edit: I was just reminded that in the dlc dragon age awakening you save amaranthine, another big location and establish a grey warden keep, essentially a military base designed to fight blights. All smoke and ruins now, too.

[@Gotten1888]

@@imtooold21 you can let it burn to save the city, I know I did. Personally I find it hilarious that they had waved so much shit away, it doesn;t fit our narrative? fuck em, no reason, it goes against their culture? fuck em! Remember how Morrigan flirted with Sten and what his response about their mating rituals? maybe he was joking or maybe trying to fuck one is not easy yet know it is possible

[@PLKinka]

Didn’t they basically do this to Morrowind?

[@sterenn726]

Ferelden's destruction is a bigger problem for Dragon Age 2 and 3 (and as a whole) that just Origin. Honestly, Origin can be played as a stand alone. A lot of the ending slide don't do well with DA2 and Inquisition. Most of them were just... ignored. For example, the warden becoming the next dwarven king/queen of he played his card right. Ferelden circle becoming the next big thing for studying magic for century to come... etc etc... DA2 and Inquisition ignore that and take the game with the coronation. What follow didn't happen for the sequel. So you can play Origin without thinking or caring about sequel... the game has it's own conclusion and didn't need a sequel. But you can't play DA2 and Inquisition without thinking about what will happen in Veilguard... because those two games needed a sequel.

[@SeventhheavenDK]

This is actually very true.

[@stannisbaratheon_1]

Origins was made as a passion project, the second game happened because bioware higher ups demanded it, and inquisition was david gaider trying to end things on a relatively good note.. then bioware's higher ups demanded another sequel. dragon age is a series that constantly gets pushed out longer than it was ever intended

[@krodmandoon3479]

Been playing it that way since 2009. Haven't seen a decent reason to change yet.

[@neloverg3774]

​@stannisbaratheon_1 well you gotta remember, and David Gaider has said this himself, DA:O wasn't made with the idea that sequels would be happening and it wasn't until it was successful that sequels and more content were demanded which is how you get awakening then DA2. So, you have these games later on that have to account for so much going on in a game that wasn't intended to be followed up on.

[@rannenw6207]

@@neloverg3774 Still would have been nice to have a series with one theme, tone and big evil. I hate the Mage , Templar, Elf focus it's so lazy and boring, and the fact that the Frist Darkspawn are able to control and implant ideas in Grey Wardens but the Arch Demon can't is a huge plot hole.

[@Gun4Bullets]

What bothered me was in the inquisition dlc they built up solas to be the main villain, and in veilguard he's immediately sidelined into supporting the main character lol.

[@johnpantag472]

Just go watch trespassers' ending. The inquisition and the inquisitor was supposed to go after solas but instead in failguard the inquisitor is doing stuff in the north and rook is handling solas.

[@nocturnal03]

@@johnpantag472 in trespasser's ending, the inquisitor says they'll recruit someone Solas doesn't know.

[@sarahdillon8737]

My warden was an utter badass. She held off a blight with a tiny army. As Queen of Ferelden she should have been able to defend it hands down.

[@Keram-io8hv]

Rook: "Oh no, how is Ferelden doing?" Inquisitor: "Pretty chill, we got some old Ferelden Warden who literally went full doomguy into Darkspawn horde" Bellara: "But what about Archdemons? The elven gods they are?" Inquisitor: "Oh he killed them too" Bellara: "But how?" Inquisitor: "He was throwing Veiljumpers on them to be slaughtered so the Archdemons tire out and die of it"

[@Gotten1888]

good plan

[@Keram-io8hv]

@Gotten1888 Thanks used two brain cells on him

[@johnnormington1311]

And that's canon.

[@kopykat6843]

Haha I love this

[@BIGBOSS-bu1jt]

he used zap brannigans tactics just like against the killbots

[@Alwaysttango]

The game is really a 0/10 for me because it has dragon age in its name but it's not a dragon age game. I would give the same 0/10 if I order a carbonara but I'm served pasta with tomato sauce instead. Bad no, awful fanfiction tier.

[@8t12]

Есть фанфики куда более качественные, чем та куча разрушающего канон дерьма от нынешних Биотварей.

[@euanmacleod3738]

This is a based take.

[@gogogaga7441]

You hit the nail on the head. So many missed opportunities with this game, and some truly baffling decisions made by the writer/developers. I swear most of them never played the first three games. Hundreds of hours spent just thrown in the bin.

[@Marijamii]

I've been such a fan of the franchise, waited 10 years for this game and I can't even finish it. I just gave up when they said we can't progress until we complete the companion's quests to help them focus better, I try not to spend time with any of the companions this time because I just don't like them. So little reference to the decisions we made in the previous games, and the characters we really loved. Why did they do this to my Dragon Age 😭

[@elivenya-theautisticbookwy9638]

People should boykot ME until EA fixes Dragon Age. At this stage the franchise is lost. There is no chance that a sequel cauld fix this brain roting lore and character retcons.. Edit Sandals prophecy was completely cast aside...it hinted that the veil comes down and i actually wanted that the veil comes down. I wanted to help Solas to tear this thing down and to help Fenris to find Hawke. But they scaped that. All the desicions in this game are just set dressing.

[@laughter4380]

Way ahead of you I heard the game never reached over 600k sales across all platforms not counting refunds this trash will never see profit thankfully

[@ichigokage]

Been boycotting since this game was called Dreadwolf and was going to be a Live Service. Now people just need to find a damn backbone to stick to not buying the games. I’m already boycotting Bethesda, Pokemon and now BioWare. I’d include Ubisoft and ActiBlizz but I already just don’t play their games cause they’re not my type. ActiBlizz was on my shit list from way back during the Blitzcheung disaster and Bobby long since poisoned the well.

[@elivenya-theautisticbookwy9638]

@@laughter4380 that wont get us an overhauled game either

[@nashwise4everGM]

Nah Mass Effect is already a lost cause. Anything that Bioware release should be taken as a grain of salt. People should left during ME: Andromeda. I don't know why is it that people still cling on dead franchise that being destroyed by new generations of writer that didn't want to create something new but yet interest enough to destroy establish IP.

[@Spr1ggan87]

The only way to fix DA is to scrub 2, Inq, and Veilguard from the canon

[@Marcelo_M.M.]

Isn't that what they always do? They have been dong that with Star Wars, Marvel, Lord of the Rings, and every video game. They destroy the past of a beloved franchise to use it as platform for their fanfics.

[@Nautinthislifetime]

I cannot believe Southern Thedas has just been wiped off the map. I have played Veilguard and I was sitting like....excuse me???? So, everything we did, the Warden, Hawke and the Inquisitor and all the nonsense they got up to....gone....I am so angry. Bioware is far too lazy and just decided, welp, lets just wipe out Southern Thedas so that we never need to write about it again. Disgusting! They should have shoved us maybe....50 years into the future, make Solas stuff take absolute years, then yeah, fine, go for a clean slate. But this??? Awful! My Divine is Vivienne and yet, we hear nothing. When we heard devs talking about the game....about 80% of the time, all I heard was Solavellan, and the past games being boiled down to, did you kiss Solas or not (no I did not...no thanks)....who cares about that!!!! I care about the lore and history of Thedas. Taash could have been a strong, butch, lesbian qunari who broke away from the gendered society that she would have lived in as either a priest, baker or a breeder....she could have lived away from that and we help with the issues around it. Instead no, we get non-binary and her being horrible to everyone around her.

[@Rthesecond]

I have flashbacks with the retcon of the entire Warcraft lore and how the Jailer, someone you never heard about, was behind all the events from the beginning. Arthus was such a great villain and they just broke his entire legqcy for some bold blue smurf dude that goes like a typical villain: "Muahahaaaa everything goes EXACTLY according to my genius plan".

[@JonborgVA]

Man they weren't lying that basically a reboot and not a soft reboot, hell it seems disrespectful to the previous games

[@1ChristFollowingNerd]

10 years. I feel like one day we’re going to find out what Dread Wolf was & we’re going to get angry all over again.

[@magicdog9523]

We can already see it in the artbook they released... What could have been.

[@WaywardHex]

At this point they should have had the balls to just tear down the veil. Same amount of deaths. Hell. Probably less. The world would have been healthier. and we could have gone with a completely different but organically different world with new rules and new forces to contend with.

[@alexl8864]

I'm in complete agreement with you, I think it is disgusting what Bioware has done. Messing with a beloved franchise is uncalled for and it's not about whether it's "just a game" or whatever. If someone decided one day that from now on Football was going to be a sport that is played with a bunch of people laying on the ground holding hands and seeing who could give the other team the best compliments, Football fans would be ticked and for good reason.

[@terratheterribl]

Never has a setting enchanted me as much as dragon age origins. It makes this tonal shift feel so damn painful.

[@kjm7391]

I'm so glad to hear someone else with this take on the Qunari. I think the writers have forgotten what made them interesting.

[@sanderkiki]

These "writers" think every culture should be a homogenious husk resembling modern california and only that, all other cultures are inferior or something worse(inlude any buzzwords they like to call people). They dont even try to make people from different countries speak differently, its all modern western speech.

[@leila13dnd]

Wait so Veilguard LITERALLY wiped the canvas with past choices? It's not just that they were too lazy to implement them, they fucking killed it all??? Edit: Also super agree with your take on Taash. Their character concept is super interesting and the way you described the scene made so much more sense. Taash not fitting in with neither male nor female Qunari standards and discovering something outside them would have been so much better + lore friendly. But fuck lore, right Veilguard?

[@thelastdragonborn8739]

Do you remember the time Lagain have understable motivation ? Yeah he betray the king but that saved the all army, without that human army would be destroy... Be a monster but save the world ? Now it just a edgy dude who said to him "your daughter can be the queen of onlyfan"

[@RavenN7Ryan]

Dude, you deserve way more followers. Perfect analysis 👍🏻

[@theKouto]

You're too kind, thank you!

[@El0wen_0]

I'm sad its so mediocre and childish, too fluffy 😢 Fantasy lives of satire, same thing for sci fi, and it was completely pushed aside. This is just a long Dora the explorer episode. Not to mention they completely ruined Solas. Someone who was determined, ambitious, ended up just doing someone else's bidding 😅 (P.S. Estou a adorar os vídeos, keep up the good work 🎉)

[@theKouto]

Dora The Explorer is a great description xD Obrigado! :D

[@mattmark94]

None of this Traash is canon.

[@juanisaias8308]

Its just like the Fallout show or the Joker 2. A revenge humiliation ritual for the original fans.

[@DZ-oz8co]

That is why I never bother with Veilguard, and refused to call it Dragon Age. It is basically a skin suit, it is not the same IP at all. I watch a number of people played it, the characters are childish and that "Quanri" whatever she is; is basically the writer's mindset; the dialogues that was a mentality of modern day crazy people.

[@Zakrovik]

More people should really be talking about this. THIS IS THE BIGGEST PROBLEM I have with Veilguard. They just handwaved the South away. Literally and the North just keeps on acting like nothing happened. What the hell is this? Everyone should be on the front lines against the dark spawn of this story wants to be taken seriously.

[@oddersisadog]

No mention of what happened to Sandal, Sten, the Warden, Morrigan's son, Allister, etc everyone was neglected so you can see more of your new boring companions.

[@burns0100]

For a world that's been ravaged by multiple country ending blights fans are sure upset this time that the blight destroyed some places... I mean in Origins entire towns/cities were taken off the map by the blight but Veilguard can't do the same when two gods are involved in directing the blight vs all the other blights that have been more natural occurrences. This was literally the worst blight of them all, it was world ending. But no lets be mad some places didn't survive while the rest of the world was ending.

[@AztecBash]

It's true, this is not a Dragon Age game. It's just a new generic brand rpg.

[@iemzaf]

I guarantee all your questions, the devs would answer; "What? Who's that? What are you talking about?" F-ing tourists getting the keys to our hobbies

[@claytownusa7008]

The only hope I have for the Franchise is EA finally shuts down Bioware and sells the rights to Dragon Age to a studio that actually will give the material the love it deserves and retcons almost everything from Dragon Age 2 onwards and makes and actual sequel to DAO but its a fever dream

[@ndennant]

Bioware has absolutely and intentionally destroyed Dragon Age. They can't come back from this.

[@LaBarata12]

It’s not baffling, it’s a humiliation ritual. Everything that is the past is evil and bad but everything that is their new future is good and just.

[@MKDAWUSS]

Not having the Dragon Age Keep should have been a warning sign. And keep in mind, the Keep also featured some rather obscure decisions too. Destroying Southern Thedas is, like you said, just for a way for the writers to wipe your decisions making things easier for them moving forward. Who was the King of Orzammar, Ferelden, or Orlais? Doesn't matter now beyond maybe a passing conversation line, as... well... they died in the Final Blight. Same with the HOF/OWC - though that character is way too hard to bring back, given how undefined he is. The Qunari started getting retconned way back with DA2's DLC. It was subtle and it still worked, but it was there. Anyone else remember when DA wasn't going to validate or refute any of its in-game religions? Yeah......... Nice to see the 15+ year debate that is Loghain and Ostagar get a slap to the face... 😒 That "bad ending" postscript reminds me of some 90s games when you'd cruise through it on easy. 😄

[@Zero60133]

Guess Dragon Age ends with Inquisition for me then. We had a good run.

[@krackawoody2556]

Theres no fucking way they gave Dragon Age the WoW Shadowlands treatment. “Nah it wasnt The Lich King it was the Jailer all along”

[@Parsifal308]

It reminds me of what Blizzard did in World of Warcraft during the Shadowlands expansion, suddenly, absolutely all the events were planned and the characters manipulated by a very lame character invented at the last minute for the expansion (The Jailer) The studios have filled up with new people, with new ideologies and they are targeting new audiences, trampling on old lore is the only thing they know how to do, they simply do not have the talent to tell their stories without corrupting the previous work of the previous people

[@ShubhamBH22]

Ferelden getting destroyed offscreen is a travesty

[@enoughisenough4-d3h]

I can't believe they destroyed Ferelden in this abomination called Veilguard. I hate this game. I hope it fails, I hope it gets forgotten and de canonized, I hope it gets erased from existence. This game is a disrespect to us who love Dragon Age since Origins. 😡

[@BlazinMatt]

Agreed. The only hope for Dragon Age at this point is either a full on hard reboot of the whole series, or if everything that happens in Veilguard is retconned to have occurred in some sort of alternate dimension/timeline. But the chances of that happening are slim to none, just like the chances of ever getting another Dragon Age game with the way things are going currently...

[@adrenjones9301]

@@BlazinMatt They, and by they i mean somebody competent who loves the first two games, needs to do a remaster of one and two and then write new games from there.

[@KaiSaeren]

It wasnt enough to take our decision and our universe from us, they also had to take away our agency, not just in Veilguard but retroactively in the previous games as well.

[@FPchie]

There were many obvious notions that Bioware wants to reset DA lore beginning with Veilguard (catering more for the "modern audience" taste). I already started to lose love with DA after playing Inquisition. Its no longer the DA I knew since Origins.

[@doomsdaySephiroth]

At least DA:I was more of a true Dragon Age game compared to DA:V

[@Ni-boo]

​@@doomsdaySephiroth DA:I is doodoo with more gold glitter than DA:V

[@doomsdaySephiroth]

@Ni-boo You're delusional. DA:I may not be as flashy as DA:V, but at least it doesn't dunk on what came before it and completely destroy it by wiping out all trace of what we the players did in DA:O, DA:OA, and DA2. At the very least DA:I has a viable story and tries to expand on DA:O and DA2.

[@jled787]

Loved Origins, especially the number of outcomes each origin could have at the end. I hated DA2 at the beginning for changing the combat in favor of console button mashing and Darkspawn redesign as well as the frequent use and reuse of the 4 different maps for quests. But I did love the characters as they kept what was important from Origins. Haven't even touched Inquisition because back then I did not have the hardware to play it and consoles would be a lixury I don't have. But I know that they changed gameplay once again, as well as charracter design. But it still somewhat kept what was important from the previous titles

[@doomsdaySephiroth]

@jled787 Yeah, and progressed on them too, but it seems DA:V takes one big dump on all of that in favor of making it where none of our decisions in the previous games matter. What's the point of having a marker in the Dragon Age Keep to save Solas from himself if the DA:V doesn't even give the players that option or even have a story that goes in line with the dark fantasy troupe that makes Dragon Age what it is? I was hyped for DA4, but after seeing the gameplay footage and what they've done with the game, I'm over here going "Nope! Not worth my time playing or buying." as just that alone told me that I'd just be wasting my time and money on a game that's crap.