I was surprised how torn I was at the end of Trespassers when it came time to decide the fate of the inquisition. I had decided from the very start of the dlc that there was little reason to keep this going, especially with extremely valid political pressure from other states to disband. We had done what we had set out to do, the noble thing was to step down and let someone else be the hero now. But things got a lot more complicated than that. There was a point early on in my 2nd play through of DAI that Solas and Cassandra talked about giving up control of the inquisition to you the player. Solas admires Cassandra's in making this decision, not for acknowledging her own shortcomings, but give up that powerful position. It seemed like a noble thing to do for her, and Cassandra as a character is all about doing whats right and what not; it didn't really hit me Solas was making an indirect appeal to me as well. When faced with the same decision (and with added pressure of the unsure state that Trespassers finishes on) I struggled to do it, I struggled to let 'my world' get out of my control. It was a world that I had very much shaped and influenced in many ways. I would say that I couldn't do it but the reality was that I wouldn't and I feel terrible because of it. Maybe this is a play on the old idea that 'videogames are power fantasies' but to be given so much power and then to be asked politely to give it up effected me more than I thought it would. I hope future games in this franchise challenge me like this DLC did
Interesting. I just hate the other organizations. My temptation would be to think that I was justified in continuing to leverage my organization to buffer the worst tendencies of them all. It’s a fallacy in many ways. Arrogant. Tyranny. To rule with no mandate. To rule to my vision. To assume I know what is best. Plus the truly noble thing is teaching everyone to rule themselves to higher standard, and to highlight meritorious behavior as paramount based of its value to all. To do otherwise is to make room for tyrants to take your place.
7 years later and we're just now nearing the answers to some of this stuff. It'll be fascinating to see if Bioware can maintain any of Tresspasser's momentum after so long
Yesterday I was thinking about how they wanted to sell us the end to DA: I, then I was like nah, screw it. Noah Gervais will cover it eventually. And lo, here we are.
Noah Caldwell-Gervais I will be happy to bestow the money on EA when those DLC's are on sale. You pay full price for 100 hour worth of collectible gathering and no real ending and a full price again for additional 50 hour gameplay to get the ending. You need a full time job to afford these games and than take a few weeks off to finish them!
+Noah Caldwell-Gervais Thank you very much. I have loved the dragon age series but after all the DLC bullshit and MMO boredom that DA3 was I gave up on it. Glad to see that this video actually makes me interested where dragon age 4 is going. My biggest concern is that without the DLC the average player will be super lost about solus and if the inquisition is disbanded or not.
Why did I collect all those shards and other collectibles when I played Inquisition... Man, what a waste of time. I got burned out doing that shit I found it hard to appreciate the good chunks of the game. Origins is still far supreme though.
yeah origins is one of my favorites but i couldn't get into inquisition at all. i tried on 3 different occasions, getting a little further each time, but neither the story or combat pulled me in the way they both did in origins.
@@wobashiligangwhat an unflattering mix of poor grammar and self aggrandizing rudeness. It's the internet and all but you should still be ashamed of yourself for trying to ruin someones day.
Very common for DLC to be stuff that was supposed to be in the game but was cut out due to time constraints. That's most likely the case here. However that's no excuse for Bioware since so much of Inquisition is complete filler so they should've put this as a priority from the start and all the endless fetchquesting should've gone to the backburner. I'm glad it was at least allowed to come out though, Trespasser is the best thing about Inquisition and if the whole game was that good it'd be up there for best of the decade.
@@BIadelores its not that simple. the things here could of been created or signed off at points where they would of been impossible to implement in game. in general all that fluff is infinitely alot easier to make, a ten minute cutscene costs way more then filler content that can have the player spend hours doing. saying something is no excuse is also ignoring the issues INQ had during its creation and the conditions the developers where forced on. and of course we don't even know when these things where actually created or basically made canon.
This stuff is the reason Dragon Age became one of my favourite fantasy settings. So many fantasy settings have gods in them. Real gods. Like, gods that do stuff that can be empirically proven. Dragon Age sets up religion and superstition just like real life. There is no concrete answer that everyone agrees on. It's heavily implied that the common interpretation of ancient history and divinity is actually VERY misguided and warped by time. Andraste's ashes can cure all ailments! a miracle! Or is it just the fact that they are stored in a chamber where lyruim infused moister is constantly floating in the air? Andraste was the bride of the maker!- or was she just another hero- like your own character, who pursued her own quest to it's end only to have her legend become deformed and swollen by the praise and adoration of those who came after her? Demons are creatures of pure evil that prey on mortals!- or are the denizens of the fade MUCH more complex than that? what if they are reflections of the mortal world, the good and the bad... what if the answer is even more complicated still? what if they are a missing piece of the fabric of a past reality too alien for contemporary mortals to even really understand? The elven gods were real and did all kinds of mythical god-like stuff! or were they just totalitarian dictators that framed themselves as such? The Darkspawn were a punishment sent by the maker!, the golden city turned black!- or did the tevinter magisters just uncover something horrible in an already blackened city? deep within the dimension the elven god kings were trapped inside when reality as it existed in the time of the ancient elves was split into two facets when sundered by rebellion? Nobody knows! but it sure is fun to speculate! and at some point- it's all going to unravel and the world is going to fall into this new context where it might all pay off.
note that it is heavily implied that the ultimate reason Solas created the veil was that the elven gods invented the blight. They also murdered the elven god he was actually friends with when she objected to their ultimate folly (the thing implied to be the blight), eg mythal, whose spirit would later possess flemeth. It would make sense that breaking into the black city, eg the capitol of the old elven empire displaced into the fade, would infect the magisters that got there as it was already blight infested via the actions of the elven gods. Who are only gods in so far as they were extremely powerful mages in a period where magic was stronger and easier to access.
Great critique of DAI and the DLC. I agree with almost everything you said. DAI was so filled with unnecessary fluff at the expense of meaningful story content, but the DLC seems to have gone a long way to correcting the balance between open world exploring and advancing the story. The lesson here seems to be that DAI should have had fewer zones (say 7-8) with better integrated story relevant content and less meaningless collectathons. Above all else, Bioware needs to remember that the big draw of the franchise is the story, the characters, and the world; the game is the just window through which we experience those elements, and it should never allow game mechanics to get between the player and the story.
+Darkly Tranquil I don't find the fetch questing actually that much of a deal breaker but like DA2's recycled envrions and especially the lack of customizable armour I can understand those who did and I remain hopefully that BW are listening and will correct this. The DLCs were much better done than the main game for DA2 too.
Kat Welham I recently played the game again and knowing how pointless a lot of it is, I just skipped all the things I didn't like. It made the whole experience much better. That said, I still think there is a lot of pointless stuff in DAI that it would have been better without, and it still has some series game balance and scaling issues that make it far too easy (even on nightmare.
+Darkly Tranquil The problem is you have to pitch for a variety of abilities - I played it mostly on normal but had to play a few of the boss fights on easy in the main quests - Here Lies the Abyss and In Your Heart Will Burn both had that for me but then again I guess it depends on how you like to play. Personally I don't play to feel like a bad ass and as long as I can do the fights without going bonkers I'm ok with it - I found the dragon fights challenged me enough on normal and I mainly play on normal so I can go down to easy for the really hard fights or the boss fights at the end of main quest lines so I don't have to play through the main quest all over again. Now that is something that did annoy me about DA:I that you can't dip in and out of main quests or re-visit the locations where they take place to pick up the loot you missed. I think it's a problem that faces games generally make them hard enough to challenge the hardcore gamers whilst easy enough to be playable but those like me who are there for reasons like the characters and the lore. It's a bit put off for Witcher for me that the game play's pretty hard core which from my POV is a shame because all the reviews say it's awesome in terms of plot.
The only line I disagreed with is at 25:00. "Almost everyone will die - Solas doesn't care." Solas very emphatically does care, it's just that he regrets what he did to his own people more than he regrets what he must do to 'fix' it. That's what makes him such a compelling character and gives him the potential to be the best antagonist Bioware has made yet.
Eh, sad thing is, Solas seems like he's better at doing good than the nominally good factions. I mean, say you kill Solas. Then what? You've got the Qunari planning to take over Thedas over the long term, ongoing blights, Tevinter, and whatever seal Solas put on the Evanuris is going to wear off eventually. Do you rather let Thedas go through hundreds of years of war, with a very real chance thedas ends up under something far worse; or do you just go for something quick and brutal with a ruler that's a much safer bet?
@@deathpyre42 Or have basically everyone but elves die, with a bunch of dead gods fighting along with super powered elves led by someone who has betrayed everyone he's ever cared about? With each betrayal being a monumental mistake and use of pure narcissistic "I know what's best even though every grand scheme is driven by pride and has failed, ending in utter catastrophe"? Yeah, I won't be a player who tries to _"redeem"_ Solas. He was irredeemable from the start, millenias before our characters ever met.
Bahaha, I never realized Solus was that important. He was literally the companion I used and talked to the least in the entire game. That's hilarious to me.
I just bought the GoTY edition of DA:I for 10 bucks. Best 10 bucks I have ever spent. I had played the original back in the day and revisiting it was every bit as compelling as Noah says.
Well, if your warden is still during the events of Inquisition, they will be currently trying to figure out the origin of The Calling and how to stop it from affecting the Grey Wardens. So the Hero of Ferldan may come back in the future to team up with a new protagonist to end the calling.
@@trevordavis6830 idk if it's still true but a few years back Bioware confirmed the Warden won't ever actually be in another game mentioned yes but never seen
Solas' enigmatic grand plot to undo a major fundamental force of his fictional universe gives me major "Kriea" vibes. To fall is such a quiet thing, but far more terrible is to admit it.
I can't believe it's been 6 years and Dragon Age 4 isn't out still. Bioware came up with one of their best sequel hooks ever just as they went into meltdown.
+s0denone Seems the same things happens to them with KoTOR II and New Vegas. Sad that they don't get the credit they deserve but it makes sense. They do tend to make sequels to games highly associated with one dev or another. New Vegas especially since Bethesda slapped their logo all over that game. Hell, Obsidian's logo isn't even on the cover. They regulated it to a small corner on the back.
+silver6kraid I should have double checked, but I had remembered it being the same as the first Neverwinter Nights. I was mistaken! Trespasser is still an awful lot like Mask of the Beyrayer, though.
yup a great Obsidian game, and better than NWN1, at least for the single player campaign. Unfortunately not as much user created content. Obsidian is currently my favorite developer and while Pillars of Eternity wasn't perfect, I am looking forward to the sequel Pillars of Eternity: Deadfire. and New Vegas will always be my favorite game of all time.
The way Solas is summed up in Trespasser was one of my favorite stories of all time. That last conversation you have with him was like speaking to ancient god that defined the legends and history of all civilization. I'm gonna get alot of hate for this, but I even enjoyed the ending of this dlc better than the ending of The Witcher 3. Superb stuff.
This video, more than anything, shows the enormous scope and depth of Dragon Age lore. Mass Effect is big, Pillars of Eternity with all its factions, gods and souls can be overwhelming at times. But DA is bigger than both of those combined and a lot more than that.
I had fun with JoH, and the battle with that cabal of lvl 30 Elite Despair Demons protecting their gold was one of the toughest and longest boss battles ever.
the way I saw it, after Trespasser, is that the first 3 DA games are like some sort of "Elf Trilogy" and the next few games have more revealed dwarven lore secrets in it after Solas somehow pulls off the impossible and makes elves into a bunch of mean ass jerks again... also that ending of the Descent is just too big to just ignore
I will say, I played DAO => DA2 => DAI consecutively within 6 months, and I thought that DAI was far worth the tradeoffs pertaining to collection. DAI linked in-game quests to actual in-world changes better than any other open world I've ever played. The set pieces here were so much better than anything that Bethesda could offer, as none of the fetch quests felt necessary. It's just there to pad things if you want to.
This is a lot more stuff than you could put into the base game so it really benefits from the DLC model, but I just can't stop feeling burned as a consumer for having to pay extra to get a proper ending to a full price game. Personally I've been waiting to get the whole package bundled in a sale.
+DanTheDragonslayer Yeah, I wish they still did full expansions like Awakening. I loved Awakening. But I also enjoy the bulk of regular DLC content in Origins, even the smaller ones like where you revisit Ostagar.
+DanTheDragonslayer It's an unfortunate business model and what really is disappointing about it is that only a tiny percentage of people actually play the DLC's that release this late. It's a damn shame how few people have played Citadel, that DLC turned Mass Effect 3 into a game that I think is a fitting conclusion to the trilogy. The main game is still good, but Citadel was amazing. I also haven't gotten Inquisition yet because the past few Bioware titles have taught me to just wait. There is a game of the year edition out and I'm totally getting that once it goes on sale.
This was a huge help in invigorating my hope for the Dragon Age series. Thank you. One question I have, what do you think of Enderal? I am curious if you would ever consider reviewing that.
I tried my best but I just can't muster up the energy to get interested in the fantasy genre of games. Still love watching your videos though. It's just refreshing hearing someone who knows what he's talking about. One of these days I'm gonna be doing something like this myself, when I can overcome my depression and ADHD issues, so even when I don't care about the game you talk about, I like to watch because it keeps me in the mindset that I can be doing this kind of thing with the games I care about some day.
This video summoned up the game beautifully. Hope bioware announces the sequel in process soon so that we know that they are planning on dragon age 4. Love this series and am crazy about the companions that bioware comes up with. Thank you.
Thanks for the video Noah! As always it was amazing. It's funny because I finished my second play through of DA:I along with trespasser yesterday and had a very similar experience to yours. My first play through back after the release was well over 100 hours and a lot of it felt like a chore. This second one came out at half that and I had fun the whole time just focusing on interesting quests. Hopefully by the next iteration they will of learned enough to not include so many mmo like elements.
It's good to hear from you again. It's been awhile and I hope you're doing well. As for the video, I've had Inquisition since launch, never finished it. Now I feel like I need to get the DLC before I play it again.
Really like this video, can you do a holistic story overview from origins to DA2 to inquisition? I've played them all but it's been a long time inbetween and I can't remeber all the details.
This may seem like an incredibly cynical thing for me to say, but I don't know if we can trust Bioware anymore. Leaving unanswered questions in the main game, then bringing out DLC that ends up being more relevant to what will happen in later titles than anything int the main game. We saw it in Legacy, and now the Inquisition DLCs. I'm starting to wonder what is even the point anymore.
the point is that if you don't want to be disappointed you should probably wait for game of the year versions of of their games otherwise you will get a chopped up experience. It sucks that that is the case but this how the gaming industry works now a days and this is EA we're talking about. I suppose we can only be thankful that the dlc are good at least.
I kinda like how they leave lot's of story threads open in every game. I love the sense of mystery behind Dragon Age's lore. Every time they answer 1 question 2 more pop. Why is Red Lyrium so different from so different from regular Lyrium? Because it contains the blight which means that Lyrium is organic. But if Lyrium isn't a mineral then what is it? And how did it get the blight? Oh well Lyrium is actual the blood of ancient hibernating Giants who have a connection to dwarfs. What is the connection between Giant's and dwarves? And what will happen if a Giant wakes? What if they wake up with the blight in them? I love this constant sense of discovery in every game. Just when you think you know all the lore the next game or DLC throws you another curve ball.
when i realized bioware had no idea where the overall da story was going was when i just started ignoring the sequels and only considered the first game canon.
Hey Noah, I love your work. I hate to be that guy, but would you consider doing a Frictional Games retrospective? I think their evolution through Penumbra, Amnesia, and SOMA is really interesting. Also, since A Machine For Pigs was developed by The Chinese Room, it might provide a good contrast in analysis.
I never finished Inquisition. I will never play Veilguard. But I love to hear you discuss one of my favorite game worlds ever created. These two videos made me realize that Inquisition may not be like traditional Dragon Age gameplay wise or art wise, but the writing is still very much in the same tone. You gave me an appreciation and interest for a series I thought long dead. Here is to hoping that Bioware doesn't forget what made this world special in their next game, even if they are doubling down on straying further from Origins in every other regard.
Such an enjoying video, but so sad when you talk about DA4. Given Anthem, the people that have left BioWare, EA's live service focus, and it's hard to imagine anything good coming from it. You should do a retrospective on the impacts microtransactions have had. :(
And now in 2024, Dragon Age: The Veilguard only has two world states available: a world where the Inquisition disbanded, and a world where it did not. All other choices from across the franchise are ignored or avoided, all the characters that could die are ignored, all the characters that can die offscreen are alive, among many other choices.
HOORAY more Noah Caldwell-Gervaise! Hope you are doing okay out there with your car and whatnot. I always enjoy the flip out of your work, and wish I wasn't so pov as to not be able to Patreonise you. Your show is seriously one of the best around in this field, and you deserve more and bigger audiences.
I came from Baldur's Gate (from all Infinity Engine games actually) from Neverwinternights and DA: Origins. I enjoyed Inquisition, but by the time I reached the DLCs, I had spent way to much time wandering unfocused in a giant world full of checkboxes. I had somehow lost track of the plot and lost interest by then. What I mean, I was not as enchanted as I used to be. They should have cut the main game's content in half and focused on an engaging story, then proceeding to this nice plot twist ending, then DA:I would have become a better game.
I can't help but like the Deeproads because of the introduction Origins presents with the location and the Broodmother. Still one of the creepiest video game moments I've ever experienced.
So can someone give me a general guide of "DOs/DON'Ts" for Inquisition? I tried to enjoy it a while ago, and seeing this video capture all the things I had heard but missed out on makes me want to try it again--but only play the GOOD/story-related content. Especially after playing Baldur's Gate, I feel like this game would be much more relatable to me.
A really great video. DA:I was such a let down in many aspects and the disparity between well scripted companion quests and soulless plant grinding was almost too much to bear. I recently bought the cheap GOTY edition to see all the DLCs after the original ending and the more I played the more I was surprised how Origin like it started to feel. Not sure if it was worth another 100 hours to get to the DLCs, since I don't like when games disrespect my time and intelligence, but the new revelations actually make me positively hopeful for DA 4. Before the additions I didn't want to hear anything from Bioware again. lol Thanks, for the great analysis and summary.
2021 now, and Christ does it ever. I've convinced EA will scuttle BioWare entirely before they ever put out DA4; they seem to have collapsed in on themselves.
TBH I do like the whole setup here in DAI, even if I don't like the problem of cutting up the story for DLC money. It seems epic and world spanning, and I wander who you will play as in the fourth game. It seems a female elf mage is the way to go for story in DAI. But anyways, I liked the more political story of DA2. Yes it was annoying to go to the same places over and over, but I liked that it wasn't a generic 'save the world' plot. You start off fleeing to Kirkwall, have to earn money for your family then before long you are entangled in the politics of the city. The city. Just one city. It's neat, and I like it. Almost every RPG feels the need to say that the world is threatened, so much so that it's generic and cliche. Yes the events in the game have far reaching consequences outside of the city, but nothing about the world being destroyed. Which is cool and I like it, I can more easily empathize with the plight of a city than the whole of the world being threatened. Especially when I've spent so much time in that city, I've gotten to know it and it's people, I know what is at stake. It's a tighter focus.
Lovely video but some quick corrections/clarification. Old Dragon Gods of Tevinter are totally different from the Elven "gods" aka the powerful evanuris. Solas didn't kill the bad evanuris but imprisoned them. Destroying the veil would not free them, as Solas himself says he has plans to still contain them. I would also highly recommend everyone to read the 5 main novels just to get a lot motr background and character info on a lot of people, namely Corypheus and his other tevinter friends, more much needed grey warden lore , Empress Celene, Briala (how she activated the Eluvians to begin with, yes Solas is mentioned), how the mage rebellion actually started (Cole origin) among many many other fascinating details. The comics and 2 anime are also great.
I really didn’t have the patience for Inquisition or DA2 so I’m really glad you covered all the DA’s. I don’t know if you’ve seen the DA: Veilguard trailer but it looks… rough. Hope you cover it, but I also hate the thought of you having to wade through that mess.
+Holland “RadicalPolio” Ayers Bad! It's going to the junkyard at long last. I was gonna get another transmission, but my license was suspended due to nonpayment of four year old court fees, so no license no rustbucket. I'm gonna have an update soon, I have one more video I'm finalizing before the month is out.
Oh I totally understand man, I have problems producing content due to shitty real life stuff as well, I understand how frustrating it can be. You've proven how great of a writer you are, keep at it bro! You're one of the few that actually works hard enough do deserve dos patreon bux.
I disagree. Maybe i'm a villain too.. but I agreed with Solas the moment I figured out that he views elves the same way that a mage might view a tranquil. Something was lost, and those affected by it might neither notice or care.
Inquisition was my first dragon age game, loved it but also hated the fetch quest elf root bullshit. I played the game a month before trespasser and finished the game and the two other dlc's before trespasser. Love your videos keep it up man!
Great video as always, Noah. I wondered: Are you ever going to do a retrospective on Baldur's Gate? I would love to hear your thoughts on this great series.
You keep mentioning neverwinter nights 2. And I would love to see you make a video about it, or the original game even. Thanks for keeping me company while I grind in WoW.
I've tried time and time again to get into Inquisition, but I always lose interest after a couple hours. These videos discussing its merits and failures always get me interested and make it seem like so much more than the sum of its parts, but damn if the MMO structure doesn't frustrate me immensely. So much of this game is so. damn. boring. I value my time too much to spend it either doing unending amounts of fetch quests without narrative value, or constantly fighting back my irritation at an endless amount of icons, popups and general quest markers the game keeps throwing in my face in order to focus on those aspects of the game that matter.
So, with Solas, why not just side with the guy? I mean, between the ongoing darkspawn issues, the looming threat of the Qunari, Orlesian nonsense, The Tevinter Imperium, and the next time the Templars decide to start another war, Thedas just seems bound to end up with centuries of bloody warfare. Since Solas was a somewhat good Evanuri, and has the skills nessessary to establish a functioning society, why not just unite all of Thedas under his rule? The collateral damage from centuries of warfare can't possibly be worse than the collateral damage from whatever Solas is planning, and odds are the end results of leaving Thedas to itself would be either Qunari or Tevinter rule over the whole continent(which are probably going to be worse than having Solas in charge) or chantry-influenced orlesian/ferelden rule (very vulnerable to corruption, political nonsense could end up with a lot of collateral damage) or everyone dying to a blight.
I don't know really, besides the massive conflict having tiny rifts appear throughout the world have the entire veil just open seems like an amazing idea right?
I keep trying to get into Inquisiton every time i watch these videos of yours... but for me, i can't get past the combat... it's so awful.. your character is freaking out firing off a bajillion moves and shots a minute, very very little seems to happen to the health bars of even the most basic enemies despite all the fireworks, and you're just, like, clicking a few buttons every now and then and marvelling at how disconnected you feel... i just can't stand the idea of going through dozens of hours, with the aim of eventually getting to this superior additional content, wielding such flaccid combat...
Hey Noah, can you do a video on the games Bastion and Transistor? They are both really short but fantastic games and I would love to get your opinion on these games
Fantastic video as always. I could literally listen to you talk about any video game for the rest of my life! Have you played the Witcher series? That's something I would die to hear you talk about. Not saying that's what you should do, but that would be my dream :D
And to think they said there would be no DLC, guess the scent of money is stronger than their conviction. I'll play the DLC for sure, once they stop asking 45€ for it.
+Cero Ashura I'd back up the other poster - they said they'd be no companions introduced in DLCs aka 'Stone Prisoner' and 'Exiled Prince'. It didn't really need them in truth because they already had characters we could find out more about Harding got more content in JOH and Solas became explained in Trespasser and we sort of got two temporary companions in the Descent. I liked Shale and I thought Seb's story was interesting and the dilemna he poses vis a vis Anders and he fleshed out Elthina a bit more but he gives me a character I kinda love to dislike.
I was starting out into that series in the early months of 2015 so when I finished my (base game) playthrough of DA2 there was already a GOTY edition of DAI. I was very fortunate. I don’t like the way EA and Bioware slice up games and jack up prices on all the content. They aren’t alone in doing this but they sure stand out as the worst example of that business practice.
Woot! top billing for Patreon. Though, I still need to finish DA origins Ultimate Edition... I'm so behind. I'll likely pick up Inquisition Ultimate next summer for $45 and play the fuck out of it ;) Thanks, Noah for the thoughtful overview of what looks to be another wonderful edition! I thought that was an oscilloscope next to you during facetime and thought WOW, serious nerd-cred.. and then realized that it's probably an 80's era portably TV? (edited to comment on the (not)oscilloscope)
I have played Origins, 2, and Inquisition and always thought the lore and world were just ok, if anything a bit on the bland side. I don’t know how I feel about finding out that there is an epic story, but that it only comes together when you buy all of the dlc. I guess from now on I need to wait for the complete edition of BioWare games.
I tried to get into this game multiple times, with multiple different builds. I just couldn't do it. It felt like a multiplayer game with the multiplayer cut out, and was a dull, boring grind. Shame, because I really liked Origins.
If I were to buy the GotY (or whatever it is called) version, how would I know what to skip in the main campaign (that is unnecessary)? Is it easy to see during a first playthrough or is it something you only realize after you have had your first playthrough?
The general rule of thumb is that your quest log will drive you through the plot-critical stuff. If you don't care about world-building, you could just follow that and have the game done in around 40-50 hours. What's a lot harder to know is which of the optional, side-quest 'filler' you'll enjoy. Some of it is fun, almost all of it is pretty. For a newbie I'd say ignore the Forbidden Oasis and the shards littering the game, The Emerald Plains and Emprise Du Lion. Go there only if you find yourself enjoying the side quests and exploration.
So, the tress passer dlc is similar to gothic 3,where all your friends reached their goal, and now its drama time. What i mean is: play trough the gothic series
+Robb_Stark I'm not likely to do Witcher, and at least some of that is because Bunnyhop's videos are so good. I also abandoned a Dead Space project because Cee Marshall was killing it and I didn't want to step on his toes. Fallout 4 is my next big priority, and I'm thinking of doing Wolfenstein after that.
+Noah Caldwell-Gervais Oh god cant wait till Fallout 4, please do make a review but take your time I know I will. Probably gonna sink 100+ hours firs time thru. Any thoughts on what you have seen so far?
I definitely have to agree with you, those side quests in the main game really just pad out the journey. That's one of the main reasons why I don't really like Inquisition.
![Imaginary Monsters: Alan Wake vs. The Evil Within [Franchise Spoilers]](/img/1.gif)
I was surprised how torn I was at the end of Trespassers when it came time to decide the fate of the inquisition. I had decided from the very start of the dlc that there was little reason to keep this going, especially with extremely valid political pressure from other states to disband. We had done what we had set out to do, the noble thing was to step down and let someone else be the hero now. But things got a lot more complicated than that.
There was a point early on in my 2nd play through of DAI that Solas and Cassandra talked about giving up control of the inquisition to you the player. Solas admires Cassandra's in making this decision, not for acknowledging her own shortcomings, but give up that powerful position. It seemed like a noble thing to do for her, and Cassandra as a character is all about doing whats right and what not; it didn't really hit me Solas was making an indirect appeal to me as well.
When faced with the same decision (and with added pressure of the unsure state that Trespassers finishes on) I struggled to do it, I struggled to let 'my world' get out of my control. It was a world that I had very much shaped and influenced in many ways. I would say that I couldn't do it but the reality was that I wouldn't and I feel terrible because of it.
Maybe this is a play on the old idea that 'videogames are power fantasies' but to be given so much power and then to be asked politely to give it up effected me more than I thought it would. I hope future games in this franchise challenge me like this DLC did
Interesting. I just hate the other organizations. My temptation would be to think that I was justified in continuing to leverage my organization to buffer the worst tendencies of them all.
It’s a fallacy in many ways. Arrogant. Tyranny. To rule with no mandate. To rule to my vision. To assume I know what is best. Plus the truly noble thing is teaching everyone to rule themselves to higher standard, and to highlight meritorious behavior as paramount based of its value to all. To do otherwise is to make room for tyrants to take your place.
7 years later and we're just now nearing the answers to some of this stuff. It'll be fascinating to see if Bioware can maintain any of Tresspasser's momentum after so long
Yesterday I was thinking about how they wanted to sell us the end to DA: I, then I was like nah, screw it. Noah Gervais will cover it eventually.
And lo, here we are.
+RecklessAbandon Yeah, "People who don't want to spend 45 dollars shouldn't miss out on some of these revelations" was part of my thinking on it.
Noah Caldwell-Gervais I will be happy to bestow the money on EA when those DLC's are on sale. You pay full price for 100 hour worth of collectible gathering and no real ending and a full price again for additional 50 hour gameplay to get the ending. You need a full time job to afford these games and than take a few weeks off to finish them!
+Andrej Gobec That's why, when I was working full time, the skyrim/dragon age video took me four months.
Andrej Gobec GOTY edition is out now, you can wait a couple of months when the prices get slashed more.
+Noah Caldwell-Gervais Thank you very much. I have loved the dragon age series but after all the DLC bullshit and MMO boredom that DA3 was I gave up on it. Glad to see that this video actually makes me interested where dragon age 4 is going. My biggest concern is that without the DLC the average player will be super lost about solus and if the inquisition is disbanded or not.
Why did I collect all those shards and other collectibles when I played Inquisition... Man, what a waste of time. I got burned out doing that shit I found it hard to appreciate the good chunks of the game. Origins is still far supreme though.
yeah origins is one of my favorites but i couldn't get into inquisition at all. i tried on 3 different occasions, getting a little further each time, but neither the story or combat pulled me in the way they both did in origins.
@@wobashiligangwhat an unflattering mix of poor grammar and self aggrandizing rudeness. It's the internet and all but you should still be ashamed of yourself for trying to ruin someones day.
@@wobashiligang Geez, chill out dude, its just a game.
All of this seems too damn important for DLC
Very common for DLC to be stuff that was supposed to be in the game but was cut out due to time constraints. That's most likely the case here. However that's no excuse for Bioware since so much of Inquisition is complete filler so they should've put this as a priority from the start and all the endless fetchquesting should've gone to the backburner. I'm glad it was at least allowed to come out though, Trespasser is the best thing about Inquisition and if the whole game was that good it'd be up there for best of the decade.
@@BIadelores its not that simple. the things here could of been created or signed off at points where they would of been impossible to implement in game. in general all that fluff is infinitely alot easier to make, a ten minute cutscene costs way more then filler content that can have the player spend hours doing. saying something is no excuse is also ignoring the issues INQ had during its creation and the conditions the developers where forced on. and of course we don't even know when these things where actually created or basically made canon.
This stuff is the reason Dragon Age became one of my favourite fantasy settings.
So many fantasy settings have gods in them. Real gods. Like, gods that do stuff that can be empirically proven.
Dragon Age sets up religion and superstition just like real life. There is no concrete answer that everyone agrees on. It's heavily implied that the common interpretation of ancient history and divinity is actually VERY misguided and warped by time.
Andraste's ashes can cure all ailments! a miracle! Or is it just the fact that they are stored in a chamber where lyruim infused moister is constantly floating in the air?
Andraste was the bride of the maker!- or was she just another hero- like your own character, who pursued her own quest to it's end only to have her legend become deformed and swollen by the praise and adoration of those who came after her?
Demons are creatures of pure evil that prey on mortals!- or are the denizens of the fade MUCH more complex than that? what if they are reflections of the mortal world, the good and the bad...
what if the answer is even more complicated still? what if they are a missing piece of the fabric of a past reality too alien for contemporary mortals to even really understand?
The elven gods were real and did all kinds of mythical god-like stuff! or were they just totalitarian dictators that framed themselves as such?
The Darkspawn were a punishment sent by the maker!, the golden city turned black!- or did the tevinter magisters just uncover something horrible in an already blackened city? deep within the dimension the elven god kings were trapped inside when reality as it existed in the time of the ancient elves was split into two facets when sundered by rebellion?
Nobody knows! but it sure is fun to speculate! and at some point- it's all going to unravel and the world is going to fall into this new context where it might all pay off.
note that it is heavily implied that the ultimate reason Solas created the veil was that the elven gods invented the blight. They also murdered the elven god he was actually friends with when she objected to their ultimate folly (the thing implied to be the blight), eg mythal, whose spirit would later possess flemeth.
It would make sense that breaking into the black city, eg the capitol of the old elven empire displaced into the fade, would infect the magisters that got there as it was already blight infested via the actions of the elven gods. Who are only gods in so far as they were extremely powerful mages in a period where magic was stronger and easier to access.
Great critique of DAI and the DLC. I agree with almost everything you said. DAI was so filled with unnecessary fluff at the expense of meaningful story content, but the DLC seems to have gone a long way to correcting the balance between open world exploring and advancing the story.
The lesson here seems to be that DAI should have had fewer zones (say 7-8) with better integrated story relevant content and less meaningless collectathons. Above all else, Bioware needs to remember that the big draw of the franchise is the story, the characters, and the world; the game is the just window through which we experience those elements, and it should never allow game mechanics to get between the player and the story.
+Darkly Tranquil
I don't find the fetch questing actually that much of a deal breaker but like DA2's recycled envrions and especially the lack of customizable armour I can understand those who did and I remain hopefully that BW are listening and will correct this. The DLCs were much better done than the main game for DA2 too.
Kat Welham I recently played the game again and knowing how pointless a lot of it is, I just skipped all the things I didn't like. It made the whole experience much better. That said, I still think there is a lot of pointless stuff in DAI that it would have been better without, and it still has some series game balance and scaling issues that make it far too easy (even on nightmare.
+Darkly Tranquil
The problem is you have to pitch for a variety of abilities - I played it mostly on normal but had to play a few of the boss fights on easy in the main quests - Here Lies the Abyss and In Your Heart Will Burn both had that for me but then again I guess it depends on how you like to play. Personally I don't play to feel like a bad ass and as long as I can do the fights without going bonkers I'm ok with it - I found the dragon fights challenged me enough on normal and I mainly play on normal so I can go down to easy for the really hard fights or the boss fights at the end of main quest lines so I don't have to play through the main quest all over again. Now that is something that did annoy me about DA:I that you can't dip in and out of main quests or re-visit the locations where they take place to pick up the loot you missed.
I think it's a problem that faces games generally make them hard enough to challenge the hardcore gamers whilst easy enough to be playable but those like me who are there for reasons like the characters and the lore.
It's a bit put off for Witcher for me that the game play's pretty hard core which from my POV is a shame because all the reviews say it's awesome in terms of plot.
+Kat Welham With the Witcher,just play on easy.You'll still get the awsome quests and characters without the combat
Theres like 9 zones total, youd take out only 1?
The only line I disagreed with is at 25:00. "Almost everyone will die - Solas doesn't care."
Solas very emphatically does care, it's just that he regrets what he did to his own people more than he regrets what he must do to 'fix' it. That's what makes him such a compelling character and gives him the potential to be the best antagonist Bioware has made yet.
Eh, sad thing is, Solas seems like he's better at doing good than the nominally good factions. I mean, say you kill Solas. Then what? You've got the Qunari planning to take over Thedas over the long term, ongoing blights, Tevinter, and whatever seal Solas put on the Evanuris is going to wear off eventually. Do you rather let Thedas go through hundreds of years of war, with a very real chance thedas ends up under something far worse; or do you just go for something quick and brutal with a ruler that's a much safer bet?
@@deathpyre42 Or have basically everyone but elves die, with a bunch of dead gods fighting along with super powered elves led by someone who has betrayed everyone he's ever cared about? With each betrayal being a monumental mistake and use of pure narcissistic "I know what's best even though every grand scheme is driven by pride and has failed, ending in utter catastrophe"? Yeah, I won't be a player who tries to _"redeem"_ Solas. He was irredeemable from the start, millenias before our characters ever met.
Bahaha, I never realized Solus was that important. He was literally the companion I used and talked to the least in the entire game. That's hilarious to me.
I just bought the GoTY edition of DA:I for 10 bucks. Best 10 bucks I have ever spent. I had played the original back in the day and revisiting it was every bit as compelling as Noah says.
I still want my warden back lol
Well, if your warden is still during the events of Inquisition, they will be currently trying to figure out the origin of The Calling and how to stop it from affecting the Grey Wardens. So the Hero of Ferldan may come back in the future to team up with a new protagonist to end the calling.
@@trevordavis6830 idk if it's still true but a few years back Bioware confirmed the Warden won't ever actually be in another game mentioned yes but never seen
'Frostback Basin' even sounds like a WoW location.
Solas' enigmatic grand plot to undo a major fundamental force of his fictional universe gives me major "Kriea" vibes. To fall is such a quiet thing, but far more terrible is to admit it.
I can't believe it's been 6 years and Dragon Age 4 isn't out still. Bioware came up with one of their best sequel hooks ever just as they went into meltdown.
Mask of the betrayer was not made by Bioware nor was Neverwinter nights 2.
+Anacronian Aye. Obsidian does not get nearly enough credit as a studio because of misconceptions like those.
+s0denone Seems the same things happens to them with KoTOR II and New Vegas. Sad that they don't get the credit they deserve but it makes sense. They do tend to make sequels to games highly associated with one dev or another. New Vegas especially since Bethesda slapped their logo all over that game. Hell, Obsidian's logo isn't even on the cover. They regulated it to a small corner on the back.
+silver6kraid I should have double checked, but I had remembered it being the same as the first Neverwinter Nights. I was mistaken! Trespasser is still an awful lot like Mask of the Beyrayer, though.
yup a great Obsidian game, and better than NWN1, at least for the single player campaign. Unfortunately not as much user created content. Obsidian is currently my favorite developer and while Pillars of Eternity wasn't perfect, I am looking forward to the sequel Pillars of Eternity: Deadfire. and New Vegas will always be my favorite game of all time.
I liked Tyranny better than Pillar of Eternity
The way Solas is summed up in Trespasser was one of my favorite stories of all time. That last conversation you have with him was like speaking to ancient god that defined the legends and history of all civilization. I'm gonna get alot of hate for this, but I even enjoyed the ending of this dlc better than the ending of The Witcher 3. Superb stuff.
I'm with you!
@@litheq thank you! At least I know I'm not hated by someone out there. Lol
This video, more than anything, shows the enormous scope and depth of Dragon Age lore. Mass Effect is big, Pillars of Eternity with all its factions, gods and souls can be overwhelming at times. But DA is bigger than both of those combined and a lot more than that.
Never played Dragon Age age, but this kind of lore in the world is what would make me want to play.
I had fun with JoH, and the battle with that cabal of lvl 30 Elite Despair Demons protecting their gold was one of the toughest and longest boss battles ever.
To be fair Noah, NVN2 and Mask of the Betrayer were made by Obsidian, not Bioware.
Anyone else get major Kriea vibes from Solas' grand plan?
the way I saw it, after Trespasser, is that the first 3 DA games are like some sort of "Elf Trilogy"
and the next few games have more revealed dwarven lore secrets in it after Solas somehow pulls off the impossible and makes elves into a bunch of mean ass jerks again... also that ending of the Descent is just too big to just ignore
I will say, I played DAO => DA2 => DAI consecutively within 6 months, and I thought that DAI was far worth the tradeoffs pertaining to collection. DAI linked in-game quests to actual in-world changes better than any other open world I've ever played. The set pieces here were so much better than anything that Bethesda could offer, as none of the fetch quests felt necessary. It's just there to pad things if you want to.
17:13 the three is colored only for elven Inquisitors becuase the crossroads can be seen better by an elf
This is a lot more stuff than you could put into the base game so it really benefits from the DLC model, but I just can't stop feeling burned as a consumer for having to pay extra to get a proper ending to a full price game. Personally I've been waiting to get the whole package bundled in a sale.
+DanTheDragonslayer Yeah, I wish they still did full expansions like Awakening. I loved Awakening. But I also enjoy the bulk of regular DLC content in Origins, even the smaller ones like where you revisit Ostagar.
+DanTheDragonslayer It's an unfortunate business model and what really is disappointing about it is that only a tiny percentage of people actually play the DLC's that release this late. It's a damn shame how few people have played Citadel, that DLC turned Mass Effect 3 into a game that I think is a fitting conclusion to the trilogy. The main game is still good, but Citadel was amazing.
I also haven't gotten Inquisition yet because the past few Bioware titles have taught me to just wait. There is a game of the year edition out and I'm totally getting that once it goes on sale.
Makes a lot of sense for Solas to start the game with points in barrier. I like
And here's to be praying Bioware is able to build off of the DLCs of Inquisition and into something great for DA 4.
Great video!
This was a huge help in invigorating my hope for the Dragon Age series. Thank you.
One question I have, what do you think of Enderal? I am curious if you would ever consider reviewing that.
I tried my best but I just can't muster up the energy to get interested in the fantasy genre of games. Still love watching your videos though. It's just refreshing hearing someone who knows what he's talking about. One of these days I'm gonna be doing something like this myself, when I can overcome my depression and ADHD issues, so even when I don't care about the game you talk about, I like to watch because it keeps me in the mindset that I can be doing this kind of thing with the games I care about some day.
It's been 6 years and you still don't have nothing! Get on it brother! I want to hear your thoughts
Neverwinter Nights 2 was an Obsidian game not BioWare. Mask of the Betrayer I’m not sure who made it, but it was not BioWare
This video summoned up the game beautifully. Hope bioware announces the sequel in process soon so that we know that they are planning on dragon age 4. Love this series and am crazy about the companions that bioware comes up with. Thank you.
Your reading of the donators list at the end reminds me of a certain Monty Python sketch each time
Thanks for the video Noah! As always it was amazing.
It's funny because I finished my second play through of DA:I along with trespasser yesterday and had a very similar experience to yours. My first play through back after the release was well over 100 hours and a lot of it felt like a chore. This second one came out at half that and I had fun the whole time just focusing on interesting quests. Hopefully by the next iteration they will of learned enough to not include so many mmo like elements.
It's good to hear from you again. It's been awhile and I hope you're doing well.
As for the video, I've had Inquisition since launch, never finished it. Now I feel like I need to get the DLC before I play it again.
Really like this video, can you do a holistic story overview from origins to DA2 to inquisition? I've played them all but it's been a long time inbetween and I can't remeber all the details.
I realize this video is 6 years old, but in both this & the original Inquisition video NWN2 is referred to as a BioWare game. It's actually Obsidian.
I bet someone has commented this, but there is another dwarf who could sort of kind of cast spells... Sandal.
This may seem like an incredibly cynical thing for me to say, but I don't know if we can trust Bioware anymore. Leaving unanswered questions in the main game, then bringing out DLC that ends up being more relevant to what will happen in later titles than anything int the main game. We saw it in Legacy, and now the Inquisition DLCs. I'm starting to wonder what is even the point anymore.
the point is that if you don't want to be disappointed you should probably wait for game of the year versions of of their games otherwise you will get a chopped up experience. It sucks that that is the case but this how the gaming industry works now a days and this is EA we're talking about. I suppose we can only be thankful that the dlc are good at least.
Wasn't Baldur's Gate 1 plagued by that same problem too? I find it funny how it's almost a tradition with them.
I kinda like how they leave lot's of story threads open in every game. I love the sense of mystery behind Dragon Age's lore. Every time they answer 1 question 2 more pop.
Why is Red Lyrium so different from so different from regular Lyrium? Because it contains the blight which means that Lyrium is organic. But if Lyrium isn't a mineral then what is it? And how did it get the blight? Oh well Lyrium is actual the blood of ancient hibernating Giants who have a connection to dwarfs. What is the connection between Giant's and dwarves? And what will happen if a Giant wakes? What if they wake up with the blight in them?
I love this constant sense of discovery in every game. Just when you think you know all the lore the next game or DLC throws you another curve ball.
It’s almost as if video games are a business and the objective is to make money.
when i realized bioware had no idea where the overall da story was going was when i just started ignoring the sequels and only considered the first game canon.
Hey Noah, I love your work. I hate to be that guy, but would you consider doing a Frictional Games retrospective? I think their evolution through Penumbra, Amnesia, and SOMA is really interesting. Also, since A Machine For Pigs was developed by The Chinese Room, it might provide a good contrast in analysis.
I never finished Inquisition. I will never play Veilguard. But I love to hear you discuss one of my favorite game worlds ever created. These two videos made me realize that Inquisition may not be like traditional Dragon Age gameplay wise or art wise, but the writing is still very much in the same tone. You gave me an appreciation and interest for a series I thought long dead. Here is to hoping that Bioware doesn't forget what made this world special in their next game, even if they are doubling down on straying further from Origins in every other regard.
Such an enjoying video, but so sad when you talk about DA4. Given Anthem, the people that have left BioWare, EA's live service focus, and it's hard to imagine anything good coming from it. You should do a retrospective on the impacts microtransactions have had. :(
Trespasser should have been the ending from the start.
And now in 2024, Dragon Age: The Veilguard only has two world states available: a world where the Inquisition disbanded, and a world where it did not. All other choices from across the franchise are ignored or avoided, all the characters that could die are ignored, all the characters that can die offscreen are alive, among many other choices.
HOORAY more Noah Caldwell-Gervaise!
Hope you are doing okay out there with your car and whatnot. I always enjoy the flip out of your work, and wish I wasn't so pov as to not be able to Patreonise you.
Your show is seriously one of the best around in this field, and you deserve more and bigger audiences.
Would love to get a video on Veilguard. Lots of discourse on it but curious about your take on how the lore and world expanded
You are a fantastic content creator sir. Thank you!
im pretty sure neverwinter nights 2 was made by obsidian, not bioware
+Darth Infinitus Correct
+Darth Infinitus Yep, Bioware provided assistance though.
+JuanSelection No not really.
Waage83 Technical assistance but yeah Neverwinter 2 was pretty much all Obsidian.
2018 and still no word on the continuation. This way, the writers may eventually move on, and forget half of what they were planning.
He's alive!
Great to hear you again.
Ignoring how a lot of this should have been in INQ originally, I feel like these would have made a good Awakening-style full expansion pack.
30:51 woo, senpai noticed me!
I'm really freaking tired and now you upload? I guess sleep will have to wait.
I came from Baldur's Gate (from all Infinity Engine games actually) from Neverwinternights and DA: Origins. I enjoyed Inquisition, but by the time I reached the DLCs, I had spent way to much time wandering unfocused in a giant world full of checkboxes. I had somehow lost track of the plot and lost interest by then.
What I mean, I was not as enchanted as I used to be. They should have cut the main game's content in half and focused on an engaging story, then proceeding to this nice plot twist ending, then DA:I would have become a better game.
Neverwinter Nights 2 & Mask of the Betrayer were made by Obsidian Entertainment, not Bioware.
I can't help but like the Deeproads because of the introduction Origins presents with the location and the Broodmother. Still one of the creepiest video game moments I've ever experienced.
So can someone give me a general guide of "DOs/DON'Ts" for Inquisition? I tried to enjoy it a while ago, and seeing this video capture all the things I had heard but missed out on makes me want to try it again--but only play the GOOD/story-related content. Especially after playing Baldur's Gate, I feel like this game would be much more relatable to me.
A really great video.
DA:I was such a let down in many aspects and the disparity between well scripted companion quests and soulless plant grinding was almost too much to bear.
I recently bought the cheap GOTY edition to see all the DLCs after the original ending and the more I played the more I was surprised how Origin like it started to feel.
Not sure if it was worth another 100 hours to get to the DLCs, since I don't like when games disrespect my time and intelligence, but the new revelations actually make me positively hopeful for DA 4. Before the additions I didn't want to hear anything from Bioware again. lol
Thanks, for the great analysis and summary.
"This is a helluva setup for DA4"... feelsbadman
2021 now, and Christ does it ever. I've convinced EA will scuttle BioWare entirely before they ever put out DA4; they seem to have collapsed in on themselves.
TBH I do like the whole setup here in DAI, even if I don't like the problem of cutting up the story for DLC money. It seems epic and world spanning, and I wander who you will play as in the fourth game. It seems a female elf mage is the way to go for story in DAI. But anyways, I liked the more political story of DA2. Yes it was annoying to go to the same places over and over, but I liked that it wasn't a generic 'save the world' plot. You start off fleeing to Kirkwall, have to earn money for your family then before long you are entangled in the politics of the city. The city. Just one city. It's neat, and I like it. Almost every RPG feels the need to say that the world is threatened, so much so that it's generic and cliche. Yes the events in the game have far reaching consequences outside of the city, but nothing about the world being destroyed. Which is cool and I like it, I can more easily empathize with the plight of a city than the whole of the world being threatened. Especially when I've spent so much time in that city, I've gotten to know it and it's people, I know what is at stake. It's a tighter focus.
Hadn't played inquisitions dlc. Now I'm really tempted to revisit the entire series
Lovely video but some quick corrections/clarification.
Old Dragon Gods of Tevinter are totally different from the Elven "gods" aka the powerful evanuris.
Solas didn't kill the bad evanuris but imprisoned them. Destroying the veil would not free them, as Solas himself says he has plans to still contain them.
I would also highly recommend everyone to read the 5 main novels just to get a lot motr background and character info on a lot of people, namely Corypheus and his other tevinter friends, more much needed grey warden lore , Empress Celene, Briala (how she activated the Eluvians to begin with, yes Solas is mentioned), how the mage rebellion actually started (Cole origin) among many many other fascinating details. The comics and 2 anime are also great.
great choice of music in the beginning :)
I really didn’t have the patience for Inquisition or DA2 so I’m really glad you covered all the DA’s.
I don’t know if you’ve seen the DA: Veilguard trailer but it looks… rough. Hope you cover it, but I also hate the thought of you having to wade through that mess.
Glad to see you back, doing what you love to do! Hows your car been holding up?
+Holland “RadicalPolio” Ayers Bad! It's going to the junkyard at long last. I was gonna get another transmission, but my license was suspended due to nonpayment of four year old court fees, so no license no rustbucket. I'm gonna have an update soon, I have one more video I'm finalizing before the month is out.
Oh I totally understand man, I have problems producing content due to shitty real life stuff as well, I understand how frustrating it can be. You've proven how great of a writer you are, keep at it bro! You're one of the few that actually works hard enough do deserve dos patreon bux.
+Noah Caldwell-Gervais Keep praying mang, one day. The almighty car will answer your prayers
I disagree. Maybe i'm a villain too.. but I agreed with Solas the moment I figured out that he views elves the same way that a mage might view a tranquil. Something was lost, and those affected by it might neither notice or care.
Cough, cough. Bioware had nothing to do with Neverwinter Nights2 or Mask of the Betrayer - both were developed by Obsidian.
I remember you mention Borderlands in one of your videos. I hope we get to see a video about those games one of these days.
i was starting to worry but I'm glad i didn't. quality stuff man.
Any chance we might see a STALKER/Metro series video any time soon?
Inquisition was my first dragon age game, loved it but also hated the fetch quest elf root bullshit. I played the game a month before trespasser and finished the game and the two other dlc's before trespasser. Love your videos keep it up man!
Great video as always, Noah. I wondered: Are you ever going to do a retrospective on Baldur's Gate? I would love to hear your thoughts on this great series.
Wasn't Mask of the betrayer made by Obsidian like the rest of Neverwinter Nights 2?
You keep mentioning neverwinter nights 2. And I would love to see you make a video about it, or the original game even. Thanks for keeping me company while I grind in WoW.
DA Dreadwolf just got announced recently, years later. Literally the fen'harrel game, I cannot wait
Damn, this was a really really really good review!
I've tried time and time again to get into Inquisition, but I always lose interest after a couple hours.
These videos discussing its merits and failures always get me interested and make it seem like so much more than the sum of its parts, but damn if the MMO structure doesn't frustrate me immensely. So much of this game is so. damn. boring.
I value my time too much to spend it either doing unending amounts of fetch quests without narrative value, or constantly fighting back my irritation at an endless amount of icons, popups and general quest markers the game keeps throwing in my face in order to focus on those aspects of the game that matter.
So, with Solas, why not just side with the guy? I mean, between the ongoing darkspawn issues, the looming threat of the Qunari, Orlesian nonsense, The Tevinter Imperium, and the next time the Templars decide to start another war, Thedas just seems bound to end up with centuries of bloody warfare. Since Solas was a somewhat good Evanuri, and has the skills nessessary to establish a functioning society, why not just unite all of Thedas under his rule? The collateral damage from centuries of warfare can't possibly be worse than the collateral damage from whatever Solas is planning, and odds are the end results of leaving Thedas to itself would be either Qunari or Tevinter rule over the whole continent(which are probably going to be worse than having Solas in charge) or chantry-influenced orlesian/ferelden rule (very vulnerable to corruption, political nonsense could end up with a lot of collateral damage) or everyone dying to a blight.
I don't know really, besides the massive conflict having tiny rifts appear throughout the world have the entire veil just open seems like an amazing idea right?
I can't believe you made Viv Divine?
I keep trying to get into Inquisiton every time i watch these videos of yours... but for me, i can't get past the combat... it's so awful.. your character is freaking out firing off a bajillion moves and shots a minute, very very little seems to happen to the health bars of even the most basic enemies despite all the fireworks, and you're just, like, clicking a few buttons every now and then and marvelling at how disconnected you feel... i just can't stand the idea of going through dozens of hours, with the aim of eventually getting to this superior additional content, wielding such flaccid combat...
If you play awakening Anders makes even less sense than if you didn't
argh this video made me want to pick up DAO again and finally go through all the DA games
Hey Noah, can you do a video on the games Bastion and Transistor? They are both really short but fantastic games and I would love to get your opinion on these games
Fantastic video as always. I could literally listen to you talk about any video game for the rest of my life! Have you played the Witcher series? That's something I would die to hear you talk about. Not saying that's what you should do, but that would be my dream :D
And to think they said there would be no DLC, guess the scent of money is stronger than their conviction. I'll play the DLC for sure, once they stop asking 45€ for it.
+Cero Ashura bioware never said there would be no dlc wtf
Blue Shift
They did, they said there would be no DLC because of the backlash on ME3 launch DLC.
+Cero Ashura I believe they said there would be no companion-dlc
+Cero Ashura
I'd back up the other poster - they said they'd be no companions introduced in DLCs aka 'Stone Prisoner' and 'Exiled Prince'. It didn't really need them in truth because they already had characters we could find out more about Harding got more content in JOH and Solas became explained in Trespasser and we sort of got two temporary companions in the Descent. I liked Shale and I thought Seb's story was interesting and the dilemna he poses vis a vis Anders and he fleshed out Elthina a bit more but he gives me a character I kinda love to dislike.
Incredible... well performed and one. All experience is good experience :)
Sounds very interesting and makes me want to play Inquisition.
I was starting out into that series in the early months of 2015 so when I finished my (base game) playthrough of DA2 there was already a GOTY edition of DAI. I was very fortunate.
I don’t like the way EA and Bioware slice up games and jack up prices on all the content. They aren’t alone in doing this but they sure stand out as the worst example of that business practice.
really really hope youre playing veilguard and do a video on it tbh would love to see your opinion
This is crazy, I think we made the same main characters.
Hey Noah, I love your videos! Any chance of a Dark Souls in close critique video? I'd be awesome to see it!
Woot! top billing for Patreon. Though, I still need to finish DA origins Ultimate Edition... I'm so behind. I'll likely pick up Inquisition Ultimate next summer for $45 and play the fuck out of it ;)
Thanks, Noah for the thoughtful overview of what looks to be another wonderful edition!
I thought that was an oscilloscope next to you during facetime and thought WOW, serious nerd-cred.. and then realized that it's probably an 80's era portably TV?
(edited to comment on the (not)oscilloscope)
+Aeoster It is a portable TV! I didn't think the little guy deserved to be forgotten at the Goodwill.
I have played Origins, 2, and Inquisition and always thought the lore and world were just ok, if anything a bit on the bland side. I don’t know how I feel about finding out that there is an epic story, but that it only comes together when you buy all of the dlc. I guess from now on I need to wait for the complete edition of BioWare games.
I tried to get into this game multiple times, with multiple different builds. I just couldn't do it. It felt like a multiplayer game with the multiplayer cut out, and was a dull, boring grind. Shame, because I really liked Origins.
If I were to buy the GotY (or whatever it is called) version, how would I know what to skip in the main campaign (that is unnecessary)? Is it easy to see during a first playthrough or is it something you only realize after you have had your first playthrough?
The general rule of thumb is that your quest log will drive you through the plot-critical stuff. If you don't care about world-building, you could just follow that and have the game done in around 40-50 hours.
What's a lot harder to know is which of the optional, side-quest 'filler' you'll enjoy. Some of it is fun, almost all of it is pretty.
For a newbie I'd say ignore the Forbidden Oasis and the shards littering the game, The Emerald Plains and Emprise Du Lion. Go there only if you find yourself enjoying the side quests and exploration.
Sounds good, but I am not replaying DAI just for the DLC, it's not worth it
So, the tress passer dlc is similar to gothic 3,where all your friends reached their goal, and now its drama time. What i mean is: play trough the gothic series
Please do witcher 3
+DarkPrince0fWGTN That will be two hours long at least, and i am so ready.
How about NeverWitcher Nights 1 first.
Also Metro
Fantastic video, any chance for a thorough look for Witcher trilogy?
Bunnyhop already for the most part covers that. I would love to see him do STALKER and Metro tho.
+Robb_Stark true, but I would like to hear different, well articulated perspective from Noah. There is not enough Witcher games analysis on youtube.
+Robb_Stark STALKER would be great. Or Baldur's Gate 1+2.
+Robb_Stark I'm not likely to do Witcher, and at least some of that is because Bunnyhop's videos are so good. I also abandoned a Dead Space project because Cee Marshall was killing it and I didn't want to step on his toes. Fallout 4 is my next big priority, and I'm thinking of doing Wolfenstein after that.
+Noah Caldwell-Gervais Oh god cant wait till Fallout 4, please do make a review but take your time I know I will. Probably gonna sink 100+ hours firs time thru. Any thoughts on what you have seen so far?
i love the design of your inquisitor :)
I definitely have to agree with you, those side quests in the main game really just pad out the journey. That's one of the main reasons why I don't really like Inquisition.