For those wondering - The demon that spoke to Solas: “Your pride is responsible for everything that has gone wrong; you will die alone” Solas to demon “Nothing is known for certain / Not necessarily” 😀😀😀😀😀😀 Subscribe to the podcast ya'll: On iTunes - podcasts.apple.com/…/po…/dialogue-wheel/id1340453825 RSS - dialoguewheel.podbean.com/feed.xml On RUclips - ruclips.net/video/aFx1nCdZFjw/видео.html
I was pretty sure that is what was said. I suppose I know it is true now. Come to think of it now, I knew he was not what he was letting on even then. Fascinating.
This interview confirmed what I already knew. A bunch of spoiled suburban kids are sitting around drinking lattes and projecting themselves into a Power Fantasy. Inquisition was by far the worst plot out of any of the Three Games thus far. Before I even beat the game, as the story was so groan inducing that I literally put it down for ... years... and just finished it for the first time a couple of months ago... but BEFORE I even knew what the game was about, I knew Solas wasn't a normal character. This is like what Make Believe was like when I was a Kid. And when I was a kid, everyone wanted me to lead the game. Because I don't allow Deux ex Machina. Even in a game of Make-Believe. It is bad writing. inb4: "The first person known to have criticized the device was Aristotle in his Poetics, where he argued that the resolution of a plot must arise internally, following from previous action of the play." Hence Origins fans calling the new writers stupid for throwing away most of the story from the 2 prior games. It is considered Bad Writing. Since 2500 Years Ago.
@@beedeebee13 Erm, what story from the past two games get tossed out? The only one I can say for sure was the Mage-Templar Conflict which only lasted for a single arc. The rest? Cory returned, and others finished the game that was introduced.
@@ConnorLonergan No, the entire Deep Roads theme is gone, they made Dwarfs into AI constructs, they changed the Origin of the Blight, they retrofitted Coripheus into a cartoon villain, they ignored most of the whole "Morrigan's child is an Old god" story, and they made you some instantly powerful Messiah-like character that makes all of that essentially irrelevant. Then they rinsed it with Buzzwords and Socialism threw in some dragons and called it new. It is barely a Dragon Age game at all. DA2 was actually better from a story perspective. None of them were narrative masterpieces.
Love the part where Patrick revealed that Solas became romanceable because the women on the team were so taken with Solas' voice!! To those women: THANK you for MY LIFE lol.
I immediately quit the game and remade a character as an elf when I found out I couldn't romance him. The second he said "hehehe you can't be serious" I was like "😍 romancing him" and I have a hard time not romancing him haha
This was excellent and it's amazing that after so much time, talking about Solas can break the piece of my heart that is Lavellan. Dying alone? Banal nadas!
I honestly think if rhe have DA4 and solas is the main villain they should keep the Herald because of there history. My favorite background was romancing solas but even someone who is very good friends qoulf have a good story
@@notaseal7864 i think they’ll be in there... they should be a big part of the story, like drinking from the well of sorrows or not should matter. And how the inquisitor judged and acted should matter. If they just removed the inquisitor completely, and they can’t even die, it just makes no sense to me. 😡 I need to see my lavellans again! Like they need to bring back the inquisitor, it would be foolish not to. They know about everything from random people to flippin gods and Titans. They’ve fought all sorts of things. They need to be apart of the story, they have to be. I WILL SCREAM IF THEYRE NOT! I’ll just be mad the whole game and then fall in love with the other characters after my tantrum is over lol
@@vamps_org I hope if they do that they can have my elven ex-inquisitor be like 'bugger off!' don;t bring me back into this! Even while he still has to be bright back into it... for hopefully reasonable reasons. He did drink from the well, and I hope they play something into it. Hell even if it turns him into a problem for the new heros. I would like to know little more about how it ties into Mythal as well because there was one part in trespasser that indicated he could still hear the well of sorrows despite whatever that was that happened to Mythal/Flemeth. Not sure if she's actually dead or something else. I haven;t looked up much on dragon age 4 though yet though so possible some of this been answered already. Although kinda wish could had him willing to aid Mythal at first to though not sure wise decision lol Dialogue choices at the time was kinda limited to certain viewpoint I didn;t feel really fit him. He was a reluctant hero, only doing it because it protected his people too. But the well of sorrows was kinda 'maybe tragically?" the first time he may felt like it really was his choice. Not him just having to play along. Plus it actually in his viewpoint, was a part of his culture (even if they had things wrong). Now he does have a few friends from his time in inquisiton now but only a few he might consider true friends. He hated being called the hareld of andraste, some helped him escape for a bit the role he was forced into. The rest I imagine it was like a polite version of.. ok bye! at the end lol. I think he did come to care about Cullen though as kinda friend because Cullen seemed to actually be considerate of my elf's views at first. Also they both tended to want to get things done lol Even if for different reasons and methods lol Anyways I keep running on to much...
The way Solas was written worked beautifully - the scene after the credits in Inquisition made me go "wait - what?!" and then along came Trespasser and now it's all about Fen'Harel and what is he up to and what's going to happen next.
Hearing Weekes talk about the process of creating such a complex character is so damn inspiring. He makes it sound so simple, but it must've been SO difficult to make Solas work. As someone who hopes to write my own stories one day... I'm taking notes! XD
Fen'harel is more of a mischievous, & mysterious Elvhen instead of a trickster. He's known as a trickster because of he tricked the Evanuris to be locked away. That's how he ended up being remembered by the Elves.
super long comment warning: I never understand people who hate Solas or react angrily to him, or just assume he's evil. He's far from, and you can see it everywhere in the story. My first playthrough, I didn't know he was Fen'harel, but I knew that, above all, he was deliberate and carefully controlled in everything he does. There's a quiet, dignified poetry in him. In cutscenes, his movements are graceful and lithe, with an occasional artful flourish of his hand or arm to add to the beauty of how he moves. Speaking in iambic pentameter gives his lines, spoken in that soft, honeyed voice, a hypnotic rhythm that draws you in. He has that lyrical way of speaking that is often attributed to the ancient elves and their language. But even that is deliberate and carefully thought out, because iambic pentameter isn't exactly easy to do just off the cuff. He is also fiercely protective of the weak and innocent, and a relentless warrior against anything that would constrict or remove personal freedom. I thought it seemed out of character at first, when hearing some of his banter with Iron Bull, how passionately and vehemently he condemns the Qunari and the Qun. I thought it was strange and contrary to what I thought he was, early in the game, hearing him judge another's way of life so harshly. As I went through the game, though, and learned more about him, it made perfect sense. He is the very embodiment of thinking things through deliberately, carefully weighing the consequences of each action before going through with it. His mind, his intellect, is such a huge aspect of who he is. The idea of someone taking that away, taking away someone's ability to think and choose for themselves, even if they choose wrong, is completely toxic to him. I liked the vallaslin a lot, I'd always chosen Mythal's marks in every Origins playthrough, and at first, leaned toward not letting Solas remove them. Whatever they once meant, they were part of my character that I liked. A beautiful, inspiring story, even though it's not a true one. But when he called them "cruel marks," I thought about everything before that, how passionately he fights against any kind of imprisonment. I remembered how angry he was, the first time I saw a crack in that ironclad self control, when he saw his spirit friend bound and forced to submit to the will of its masters. I remembered how angry he gets at the idea of the Qun. How easily he can become defensive if the Inquisitor shrugs off the idea of freedom. Removing those marks was far more important to him than keeping them was to me. But even then, he's gentle and compassionate in how he tells Lavellan what they are. And should she tell him no, he immediately stops her and accepts her decision. Her choice. He doesn't hate the marks on her because now she knows the truth and she's chosen for herself. That's all he ever wants. He's kind and thoughtful, in everything he does. Cole, who sees through the mile-high walls Solas erects around himself, gravitates toward him and has obvious affection for him. He says, "Solas doesn't want to hurt people. He's not that kind of wolf." He sees the pain that Solas carries with him, forcing him to cling to his pride and control to keep him from buckling under the weight of his burden. And that's the real tragedy of the character: the hell he's locked himself in. Even more tragic when I saw the gravestones in the Fade, and found out that Solas' greatest fear is dying alone. Cole mentions that he carries the guilt of "necessary deaths," and he punishes himself just as harshly for his own misdeeds as he punishes others for theirs. He has the blood of thousands on his hands, and he condemns himself to a literal eternity of loneliness, dooming himself to the one thing that truly terrifies him, because he destroyed the world to save it, and he will destroy it again to restore it. The chaos and death that erupted as a result of the Veil, he carries with him. War and rebellion are ugly, brutal things, and he's seen the worst of it. He's very aware of the blood on his hands and hates himself for it. His guilt eats at him, and his pride is all he has to keep him from being torn apart. It's his armor. But Lavellan is the only one who can chip away at that armor. We can see that softness underneath the carefully controlled facade. We can see his yearning to be seen and loved, his fear that Lavellan will see him as a monster, his embarrassment of knowing how the Dalish fear and scorn him. She's the only light in his darkness, and in Trespasser, we finally see him as he truly is. Still merciful, he originally wants to let the remaining Qunari live. He tells the Qunari to bother him no more and begins to walk away. It's only after she tries to attack him that he kills her, and that is cold and calculated and smooth. Still carefully controlled. Compassion didn't work, so she died. No hesitation, no obvious remorse, no sign of the guilt of yet another life snuffed out because of him. But the moment he hears Lavellan say his name, especially when comparing the romantic version to the friend version, we see that pride start to crumble. He kisses her one last time, his voice cracks as he promises that he will never forget her, then turns his back and walks away. In the friend version, he is still calm, cool, and collected as he leaves, his hands clasped behind his back and his head held high. In the romantic version, though, he almost shuffles away, his head down and arms at his side. The pride is gone, and he's a broken man, having finally torn himself apart in an effort to save Lavellan from the burden he carries. His guilt and self loathing are so far-reaching, that in his mind, he fully and completely believes that allowing her to stay with him would be far crueler to her than leaving her to suffer and die in the chaos as he destroys her world. In his mind, even a gruesome death would be better than allowing himself to be with her. My first playthrough, what truly broke my heart the most was when Lavellan says, "I never thought of you as someone who would do that, Solas." And he looks away, unable to hold her gaze, and replies simply, "Thank you." His voice is breathy, almost a whisper. That meant more to him than when she told him she loved him. It hit him hard, and he wasn't expecting it to. He is reviled by the Dalish as a monster, something that hurts him deeply. Because, while he truly believes he's doing what is best for the world and everyone who will ever live in it, he's also done some terrible things to bring about the future he believes the world needs. He doesn't think he's a monster, but he never just simply accepts any truth blindly, even about himself. There's that small part of him that wonders. Hearing an affirmation from the one he trusts more than any other mortal alive, that she doesn't see him that way, that she sees him as a good man, stuns him, and the emotion in those two small words broke my heart. He believes that he has condemned the world to suffer for millennia by erecting the Veil. Thousands of years of suffering, aging, and death, all because of him. He tried to save the world, and made it worse. There's no option in his mind. He has to fix it. The resulting chaos would be far kinder than to leave the world to suffer like this permanently. And knowing that, knowing that the blood of thousands, even millions, more innocent lives will be on his hands, destroys him. And his punishment for causing all that pain? The worst thing he can possibly think of. To suffer just as they do. To be forever alone, forever separated from the only one who could draw his attention from the Fade. The only one who could give him a brief solace from the darkness threatening to swallow him up. He wants nothing more than to fall to his knees beside her and cling to her, letting go of his pride and holding her as his armor, instead. Giving himself to her completely. He aches for it. She's young, barely more than a child in his eyes, and while he looks around and sees a gray, dim world, separated from the Fade, she shows him the beauty of it. But he is still fiercely protective, and he sees an innocence in her that he couldn't bear to taint with what he will have to do. With what he's already done. So he tears himself from her and walks away, broken and beaten, knowing that he'll never feel the comfort of her arms again. He'll never feel the relief from his pain, that only she can give him. For him, it's a fate worse than death, and it's the one he's convinced he deserves. He's a masterpiece of a character. Masterfully written, beautifully animated, exquisitely voiced. My favorite DA character by far, and my second favorite BW romance (after Garrus and Femshep, in no small part because that one spans three games and I get tons of adorably flustered and sweet Garrus scenes. Should this romance with Solas span three games, it could easily become my favorite).
I don't ever expect this romance to have a happy ending, because the pain Solas carries with him is too much a part of him now to ever untangle himself from. Even if Lavellan can convince him to change his mind about the Veil, she'll never be able to convince him that he's worth saving, and he loves her too much to let her try. He'll die alone before allowing her to risk her life or her spirit to redeem him. I do, however, think he deserves just one night that he doesn't have to be alone. Not even a sexual experience, just being able to fall asleep in her arms, walk through the Fade with her, and then wake up, still held tightly in her embrace as she sleeps. The woman who knows exactly who and what he is, exactly what he's done, and loves him anyway. Even after he's hurt her, broken her heart, abandoned her, her spirit refuses to be broken, and she still accepts him. He deserves one night where he's not alone. One bittersweet memory he can look back on, remembering how it felt to wake up to the warmth of her body embracing him. The only time since erecting the Veil that he was actually happy to wake up. He deserves that, and it's something he could be convinced to allow Levallen to give him.
Excellent comment. I still have hope. One of the last few things he says in trespasser, is along the lines of how he would be glad to be proved wrong, again. And at the very end, it mentions our character seeing a wolf in her dreams and that she is still seeking for a way to reach Solas and change his heart. Patrick Weekes mentions something here about the original vision of David being epic and heartbreaking, but goes on to say that he doesn't want to imitate that same vision, and his will be different. It may be doomed no matter what, but I think there's a good chance that they will actually allow us to reach a happier, more fulfilling end for Solas and especially for characters who romanced him. I just wish we could continue as our DA:I character. It makes for a far stronger story if we're playing as the one who has a deep connection and a lot of emotional weight to our feelings for the villain. It makes no sense to sideline that character and have them play no or very little role in how his story plays out. At the very least we need to be able to make some decisions as our previous character in the next game.
@@11s11s1 i would love a sort of happy ending with solas. This game already broke my heart so many times i really want to be given the option of being with solas in the end
Why have I only now found this interview? It's fascinating to hear some many details of his character creation that I don't think have been mentioned elsewhere. Horse Master Dennet turned out to be a surprisingly deep character.
Solas broke me. He was the best character by far (and I like them all). But solas, damn it wasn't his voice so much for me as his personality and knowledge and Outlook on life but his voice did help lol
Solas is a fascinating character. I got some clues the first play and did a second play though where I paid more attention. The first playthrough I figured he was a lot older by possibly thousands of years old. He's a being who clearly made some terrible decisions which most likely had some highly unexpected consequences. The final conversation gives us real insight. I do hope we see more of him in the next game. I also have to say here that the voice actor Gareth David Lloyd really brought this character to life for me.
Solas is my ultimate fantasy and the dreadwolf reveal made him that much hotter. I never wanted a cooshy romance like with cullen, the idea that I live in eternal torment trying to convince a broken man that he is worthy of love despite himself was the hottest and most fantasy fullfilling thing ever. Also the professor student relationship has always been a thing for me, solas took that and made it DEEPER. He is incredible as a character.
Have people react angrily? Me: Oh no, not really. Just got a depression because of Solavellan and fall in that hell for like at least twice a month. Totally not emotionally engaged. I'm okay! .. .*sobbs* I need to go get someone to cuddle my little broken dalish heart... Ty so much for the interview. Guys like you, Jackdaw and Ghil keep the community alive
I’d love to hear what Patrick has to say post Trespasser DLC (mostly to explain why the option of asking to join Solas post romance is rejected) and the new DA4 trailer reveal.
It is funny the part Patrick talks about how Solas never lies, but avoids direct and upfoward answers. That is exactly how the devil behaves, there is a philosopher who says that "the devil will deceive you a lot more disguising himself as yourself than if he appears to you in a beautiful angelical form"
I was turned on to this podcast / channel by a retweet from @GhilDirthalen.... and I love it. I plan on listening to some of the older ones to catch up. As someone who thinks of themselves as an intellectual, but has difficulty reading / paying attention due to bad corneas and learning disabilities... audible narratives are where it's at for me. (by audible I mean audio, not the book service by amazon, although I like that as well.) :)
That's very sweet of you to say and I'm honoured that you are interested in what I have to say - if you want a Dragon Age fix, here's some of my oldies... ruclips.net/video/lOcTKLWLvqs/видео.html ruclips.net/video/7rCLuxp2EpE/видео.html ruclips.net/video/5874CRBcCRM/видео.html
Ooo I wonder if they’ll use some of cut plot line with the Architect in DA4 at Weisshaupt. If he’s involved the Grey Warden civil war that’s hinted at at the end of Inquisition makes a hell of a lot of sense. (Agree it wouldn’t of worked in Inquisition)
He said what Dave had planned for the story was heartbreaking... I'm extremely concerned now coz solas romance was hella heartbreaking and that wasn't part of the plan so god knows whats coming.
So I’ve played dragon age inquisition more times than I can count because listen I paid 30$ for this game if you think I’m not gonna squeeze every ounce of content out of it in which I can you are sorely mistaken, and yeah solas’s character is definitely my favorite, he’s just so complex and intellectual and it’s just great, I mean my friend desperately tries to convince me to go for a different romance rout but I refuse in terms of solas is best boy and yeah
Say what you want about BIOWARE, but let's admit that no other developer writes game characters so deep and complex that you forget they are just code and pixels in a game. I have forgiven Solas for messing with my heart, but I can't forgive him for messing with my brain. I'll wait and see how he will act in DA 4, before I decide whether to kill or redeem him.
Although it might have been nice to have like...a deep male friendship where Solas would remove the vallaslin. They have mods for this, but it would've been nice if it was NOT needed. Like, the Solas Romance but without the lovey dovey part.
I always read Solas' arch as: Ancient world was split between old dragon gods 'evil' & Elven 'good gods' who used the powers of the fade to shape the creative world. These factions were at war. Slavery of elves became accepted. Mysterious, dark (abyssal?) magic was used to fight the Titans & Old Gods. Solas lead a rebellion against the status quo. He betrayed both Gods & neutered their power by building the veil. Either related to him or to the war itself, I think the blight was also a result. So Solas rebelled but the new world is worse. A blight spread to the old gods, corrupted human flesh in dark magic. Elves died young with no present fade. Magic and spirits became demonized. Solas' pride wrought this all, yet it was because the status quo was so abominable already.
I loved listening to this, I romanced Solas in inquisition so I can't wait to see what new things happen with the upcoming game. Will romancing him make a difference that's my biggest question
How do you remove a story quest involving the wardens, the architect and the hero of Ferelden but keep the mages time/future quest. The mages plot felt so out of place to me. Id be head over heels to see the hero of Ferelden and the Architect again!
Hey! This is lovely and I am super glad that you are talking to Patrick Weekes; FYI, they use they/them pronouns, not he/him. Thanks for the great content!
The only character I'm interested in hearing more about is the Hero of Ferelden. As for Solas, I suspected he was involved when he knew about the anchor. I knew he was involved when he mentioned the "artifact" that caused the explosion. I assumed he was Fen'Harel when he started painting pictures of wolves in Skyhold to depict Haven despite there being no wolves around Haven. All his Fade talk also tipped me off. His story about seeing the Hero light the beacon at Ishal sealed it for me, but that's because I had a theory about Ishal and Flemeth. So I made the connection at that point. He was also pretty touchy at the Temple of Mythal. His desire to recover the orb was also a dead giveaway that he was involved and wants to tear down the Veil. His talk of a world with spirits was also a tip of the hand. Solas is one of the reasons why I made my Inquisitor a Rift Mage, because I knew Solas was going to turn on me somehow, or at least leave the party. So after the credits I was not surprised to hear Flemeth call him the Dread Wolf. As for Hawke, I appreciate the attempt at portraying Hawke, but it wasn't done properly. Hawke always has a problem with bloodmagic, even if a blood mage. Hawke always has a problem with the Wardens even if Stroud saved Bethany or Carver. This all could have been avoided using Dragon Age Keep, but it wasn't. Hawke was funneled into one path. This just so happened to work out fine for me since I have always seen Hawke as BioWare's character, and it's rather obvious that Hawke would have a problem with bloodmagic. A mage Hawke makes no sense in context of DA2, so that's off the table. Similar case with Loghain. I can see Alistair and Stroud being in favor of the Wardens despite their failings, but Loghain? Come on.
Hero of Fereldan isnt that interesting imo. Better romances and a bit darker grittier questing is really the only thing that stands out from origins to me. The overal story wasnt though. Inquisiton and Solas and the implications of his Awakening are FAR more interesting to me. The blight is a topic hes clearly familiar with to because in one of the texts ingame its revealed the blight is a weapon created by one of the Evanuris who ventured "into the void" which I assume means somewhere deep in the fade but a much darker area of it. It could also mean underground where th Evanuris had banished the "forgotten ones" and got the knowledge from them. Which coincidentaly means that the blight can be removed if the Evanuris reveal how to. I mean they did have the blight sealed back in Arlathan until the Magisters released it from Arlathan (the golden city) by accident since the Veil Solas created pretty much broke everything the elves built. Both prison, structures, cities, weapons, etc... So I guess solas takes some of the blame since the Evanuris did have the blight under control and sealed as their personal weapon until the veil broke the seal and the Tevinter Magisters unknowingly released it believing that the Golden city was the seat of the maker when in reality its Arlathan dark and destroyed by Solas's actions. Whats interesting to ME though is where exactly did Solas banish the Evanuris? I'd assume that the Magisters would have encountered them but they didnt. Which means that Solas did something particular to seal them away.
If you look at Solas to closely he appears insane since he want to kill millions just to bring back a dystopian nightmare. Demons are part of his team and they are friend to no mortal including elves.
@@draconisdragonheart4248 Solas would likely argue with that. From his perspective, the existing world is the true dystopian nightmare. Everyone born into the current world dies eventually. In Solas' world, everyone is ageless. That factor alone means his world is better for people to live in.
@@BelieveIt1051 Your comment: In Solas' world, everyone is ageless. He doesn't mean mortals. You are not what he is protecting. Mortals will die. Demons will have total access to all mortals they want. "Fen'Harel," a person that is pretty much the elf equivalent of Loki. Specifically, he is known for betrayal. If you read the lore, Elven gods were dictators and elves were pretty much their slaves.
@@draconisdragonheart4248 I'm just saying that in Solas' eyes, all mortals are going to die eventually anyway. So destroying the world of mortals means nothing in the long run. He wants to replace a world of perpetual death with a world where no one dies of old age or sickness.
I realize I'm late to the party, but... I am a little bothered by the host stating that a player choosing a female Lavellan who romances Solas is such a small demographic of players. I feel like we are a pretty big gaming demographic on the whole, actually, but particularly among fans of Bioware-style games. (I had a whole, long essay-style rant about this written out, but it was way too long for a youtube comment, but it boiled down to even well-meaning people unknowingly buying into gender stereotypes.)
I didn’t suggest it was a small demo because of gender stereotypes. It’s a small demo because it’s already limited to players of a certain race, gender and romance choice . That’s a very VERY small percentage of the player base but it’s great they still wanted to have something special for those who made that choice
@@VideoGameSophistry Definitely more likely for people who replayed the 1st and 3rd games multiple times to try out every origin, race, and class to come across the various special interactions. The face tattoos being a mark that let the old elven gods control your body was a neat revelation I didn't know before being a female elven inquisitor. He confirms who he really is more clearly than ever if you do that story.
What player wants to be strung along Romantically and then cruelty dumped? How about how Solas lies from the beginnings . If you love and care for a romantic partner you don't string them along and lie and then dump them. Solas doesn't know how to love in my opinion .
What I think you're missing is that the Inquisitor is a fictional character, not the real life person playing the game. My Lavellan is a character I made; she isn't me and I certainly would never use a video game as a guide to real life relationships. Sometimes the most fascinating and memorable stories and romances aren't the happy/healthy ones. Stories need tension and drama, and Solavellan delivers that in spades.
@@pilotg2075 of course I know their all fictional characters. I understand that you diagree but I have a right to voice my opinion , the fact that you disagree doesn't faze me. after all, as you said their all fictional . your free to have your own opinion.
(needlessly long rant incoming) One of the most disappointing things for me was that we couldn't romance Solas as a male elf inquisitor-- because it literally makes no sense at all. Here we have a man who cares so little about the physical, a man to whom the most important thing about a person is their Spirit..... but he'd only bang girls tho. What makes it even more infuriating is that they voiced so many of the lines for the male inquisitors in a Solas romance, you can find them all in the game files. It's all there. But I guess it would just be too much work to adjust the animations a little bit (maker knows that's how they felt about dwarves and qunari inquisitors). I feel like any excuse they could come up with is garbage.. The race lock is more understandable, I think. But there's a lot of potential for a romance between Solas and an inqusitor of any race to be very good, it would even add in a new type of drama to the mix. It's just so sad and unnecessary. Why can't the dudes get plot-heavy and tragic romances? After all these years, it would be nice to just hear Weekes and the rest admit that they made a mistake.
@nathan smith yeah, sure he likes elven women. That doesn't mean he can't also like men. .. Uh, why does my opinion of a fictional character bother you so much?
I'm sorry but I'll have to be the contrarian here. They did not do a good job on Inquisition at all. Yes, when you look at the characters in a vacuum, they're well written for the most part and work internally. But the over-arching plot is pretty bad. A darkspawn magister is back and has some unexplained, unclear plan to return to the fade to claim divinity. There is no further information about any of this. What did he see? What happened? What does he want exactly? How does the breach factor into it? He hints at it and spouts vague ramblings but that's easy. Even I can write that. The future scene clearly show he just fucks it up so what's his plan? Make the world the fade and rule it? Why? We don't even get a conversation with him. No insights into why he seeks godhood or what that even means. You might say 'Why would he tell you this?' and the answer might be 'He wouldn't'. But the question you should be asking is 'Why are we not even aware of what exactly we're trying to prevent other than some vague end of the world shit?' The story also hinges on some seriously contrived plot elements. Time travel. Fade visions. And then the assumption that Celene dying or the wardens not being freed means there is not a single other outcome than 'guess the world ends then'. Corypheus seems clueless and content to let his agents fail and his plans be foiled until he decided to 'lure' you over with not a clue about your capabilities. His dragon gets killed - despite being a horcrux and better off being elsewhere - and then he gets beaten too and... sent into the fade where he was trying to go? Excuse me? Half the game's quest have no bearing on the main plot, Skyhold isn't attacked despite being the seat of power of the bad guy's main problem. The Wardens are suddenly all incredible idiots that get the calling - how does Cory even do this? - and decide it's time for blood magic and possession. I guess the right of conscription was employed lucratively in an institution for the mentally impaired. Some fear demon in the fade tries to kill us, fails and suddenly the wardens are fine? Did they just need a good speech saying 'Hey yo, possession and blood magic bad. Slaying demons and darkspawn good'? Really? Celene won't take private audiences from the Inquisition? If you're not polite at a ball, you get kicked out, Celene murdered and it's instantly over because *obviously* Cory conquers the universe with ease once one person less is there to command Orlais? Seriously? You think this is how things work? Because it's not. The Well of Sorrow feel like the product of too many re-writes. What exactly was it supposed to be? A place to gain power? Or knowledge? Or both? Or none because it plays no part at all after you get your dragon. So nothing the ancient priests knew of Mythal mentioned anything about Solas? Or the fade? Or how the Elvhen Empire ended? Convenient? What did Corypheus want with it? Would his servant not have been sworn to Mythal and thus forbidden to speak of anything to his master? Oops. And what did he even wish to learn from it? Should we or Morrigan not have learned that same info he wanted? Huh? Don't even get me started on how they did Hawke dirty. Gets killed in the fade offscreen like a lemming. And at the end handicapped the inquisitor juuuust so they can validate using another protagonist next game, as if that was required. "Solas knows all about us. So despite being a bunch of coordinated, effective and completely capable badasses, let's hedge our bets on some guy in Tevinter who will fix our problem for us with minimal coordination or intervention from out part. I wonder if DA:4 will include the Inquisitor meeting and working with the new character to counteract Solas or if the plot will veer wildly off course in some Qunari plot and once we run into Solas, the inquisitor will show up and go like 'Yo mate, lemme tell you about this egg so you know what he can do.'? Origins had a clear, concise plot with a defined goal, multiple outcomes and means of achieving it and a decent ending for its hero. Compare that to the thin veil - if you'll forgive the pun - draped around this emaciated plotline and it's quite clear throwing yourself a ball out on confidence might be misplaced. Although to continue the metaphor. You'll throw a ball as if playing football, to then kick it into a goal as of playing soccer and call it a success.
Never understood the appeal around this guy. Just seemed like a bald elven replacement for morrigan/flemeth. Think I would've preferred a more loki/joker character. Quiet braniacs that don't share their emotions never did it for me.
![Behind the Scenes - Dragon Age: Inquisition [Making of]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/uEmBNfb9xD8/mqdefault.jpg)
![Behind the Scenes - Dragon Age: Inquisition [Making of]](/img/tr.png)
For those wondering - The demon that spoke to Solas: “Your pride is responsible for everything that has gone wrong; you will die alone”
Solas to demon “Nothing is known for certain / Not necessarily”
😀😀😀😀😀😀
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I was pretty sure that is what was said. I suppose I know it is true now. Come to think of it now, I knew he was not what he was letting on even then. Fascinating.
Thank you😄
This interview confirmed what I already knew. A bunch of spoiled suburban kids are sitting around drinking lattes and projecting themselves into a Power Fantasy. Inquisition was by far the worst plot out of any of the Three Games thus far. Before I even beat the game, as the story was so groan inducing that I literally put it down for ... years... and just finished it for the first time a couple of months ago... but BEFORE I even knew what the game was about, I knew Solas wasn't a normal character. This is like what Make Believe was like when I was a Kid. And when I was a kid, everyone wanted me to lead the game. Because I don't allow Deux ex Machina. Even in a game of Make-Believe. It is bad writing. inb4: "The first person known to have criticized the device was Aristotle in his Poetics, where he argued that the resolution of a plot must arise internally, following from previous action of the play." Hence Origins fans calling the new writers stupid for throwing away most of the story from the 2 prior games. It is considered Bad Writing. Since 2500 Years Ago.
@@beedeebee13 Erm, what story from the past two games get tossed out? The only one I can say for sure was the Mage-Templar Conflict which only lasted for a single arc. The rest? Cory returned, and others finished the game that was introduced.
@@ConnorLonergan No, the entire Deep Roads theme is gone, they made Dwarfs into AI constructs, they changed the Origin of the Blight, they retrofitted Coripheus into a cartoon villain, they ignored most of the whole "Morrigan's child is an Old god" story, and they made you some instantly powerful Messiah-like character that makes all of that essentially irrelevant. Then they rinsed it with Buzzwords and Socialism threw in some dragons and called it new. It is barely a Dragon Age game at all. DA2 was actually better from a story perspective. None of them were narrative masterpieces.
Love the part where Patrick revealed that Solas became romanceable because the women on the team were so taken with Solas' voice!! To those women: THANK you for MY LIFE lol.
Solas is Welsh
Same I just want him to do ASMR 😂
I immediately quit the game and remade a character as an elf when I found out I couldn't romance him. The second he said "hehehe you can't be serious" I was like "😍 romancing him" and I have a hard time not romancing him haha
I tell myself all the time... nope not going to do it...not going to romance him...and then he goes and mentions my inkys enjoyable side benefits
A medal to that woman who wanted Solas to have a romance option
I still love they add the banter where Solas said "ass" to Blackwall 😂
Patrick Weekes, thank you for writing one of the most amazing, complex, mysterious, thrilling and heartbreaking characters ever!!!
This was excellent and it's amazing that after so much time, talking about Solas can break the piece of my heart that is Lavellan. Dying alone? Banal nadas!
I feel you, sister!
I honestly think if rhe have DA4 and solas is the main villain they should keep the Herald because of there history. My favorite background was romancing solas but even someone who is very good friends qoulf have a good story
@@notaseal7864 i think they’ll be in there... they should be a big part of the story, like drinking from the well of sorrows or not should matter. And how the inquisitor judged and acted should matter. If they just removed the inquisitor completely, and they can’t even die, it just makes no sense to me. 😡 I need to see my lavellans again! Like they need to bring back the inquisitor, it would be foolish not to. They know about everything from random people to flippin gods and Titans. They’ve fought all sorts of things. They need to be apart of the story, they have to be. I WILL SCREAM IF THEYRE NOT! I’ll just be mad the whole game and then fall in love with the other characters after my tantrum is over lol
@@vamps_org Lol eat a snickers, your not you when your hungry
@@vamps_org I hope if they do that they can have my elven ex-inquisitor be like 'bugger off!' don;t bring me back into this! Even while he still has to be bright back into it... for hopefully reasonable reasons. He did drink from the well, and I hope they play something into it. Hell even if it turns him into a problem for the new heros. I would like to know little more about how it ties into Mythal as well because there was one part in trespasser that indicated he could still hear the well of sorrows despite whatever that was that happened to Mythal/Flemeth. Not sure if she's actually dead or something else. I haven;t looked up much on dragon age 4 though yet though so possible some of this been answered already. Although kinda wish could had him willing to aid Mythal at first to though not sure wise decision lol Dialogue choices at the time was kinda limited to certain viewpoint I didn;t feel really fit him. He was a reluctant hero, only doing it because it protected his people too. But the well of sorrows was kinda 'maybe tragically?" the first time he may felt like it really was his choice. Not him just having to play along. Plus it actually in his viewpoint, was a part of his culture (even if they had things wrong).
Now he does have a few friends from his time in inquisiton now but only a few he might consider true friends. He hated being called the hareld of andraste, some helped him escape for a bit the role he was forced into. The rest I imagine it was like a polite version of.. ok bye! at the end lol. I think he did come to care about Cullen though as kinda friend because Cullen seemed to actually be considerate of my elf's views at first. Also they both tended to want to get things done lol Even if for different reasons and methods lol
Anyways I keep running on to much...
Dude, horsemaster dennet, c'mon, spit out the lore already! I mean, there MUST be something behind that dude.
The way Solas was written worked beautifully - the scene after the credits in Inquisition made me go "wait - what?!" and then along came Trespasser and now it's all about Fen'Harel and what is he up to and what's going to happen next.
Its funny that Patrick compares the lavellan romance to Phantom of the Opera, bc I subconsciously made my lavellan look and act like Christine LOL
Hearing Weekes talk about the process of creating such a complex character is so damn inspiring. He makes it sound so simple, but it must've been SO difficult to make Solas work. As someone who hopes to write my own stories one day... I'm taking notes! XD
Fen'harel is more of a mischievous, & mysterious Elvhen instead of a trickster.
He's known as a trickster because of he tricked the Evanuris to be locked away.
That's how he ended up being remembered by the Elves.
super long comment warning:
I never understand people who hate Solas or react angrily to him, or just assume he's evil. He's far from, and you can see it everywhere in the story.
My first playthrough, I didn't know he was Fen'harel, but I knew that, above all, he was deliberate and carefully controlled in everything he does. There's a quiet, dignified poetry in him. In cutscenes, his movements are graceful and lithe, with an occasional artful flourish of his hand or arm to add to the beauty of how he moves. Speaking in iambic pentameter gives his lines, spoken in that soft, honeyed voice, a hypnotic rhythm that draws you in. He has that lyrical way of speaking that is often attributed to the ancient elves and their language. But even that is deliberate and carefully thought out, because iambic pentameter isn't exactly easy to do just off the cuff.
He is also fiercely protective of the weak and innocent, and a relentless warrior against anything that would constrict or remove personal freedom. I thought it seemed out of character at first, when hearing some of his banter with Iron Bull, how passionately and vehemently he condemns the Qunari and the Qun. I thought it was strange and contrary to what I thought he was, early in the game, hearing him judge another's way of life so harshly. As I went through the game, though, and learned more about him, it made perfect sense. He is the very embodiment of thinking things through deliberately, carefully weighing the consequences of each action before going through with it. His mind, his intellect, is such a huge aspect of who he is. The idea of someone taking that away, taking away someone's ability to think and choose for themselves, even if they choose wrong, is completely toxic to him.
I liked the vallaslin a lot, I'd always chosen Mythal's marks in every Origins playthrough, and at first, leaned toward not letting Solas remove them. Whatever they once meant, they were part of my character that I liked. A beautiful, inspiring story, even though it's not a true one. But when he called them "cruel marks," I thought about everything before that, how passionately he fights against any kind of imprisonment. I remembered how angry he was, the first time I saw a crack in that ironclad self control, when he saw his spirit friend bound and forced to submit to the will of its masters. I remembered how angry he gets at the idea of the Qun. How easily he can become defensive if the Inquisitor shrugs off the idea of freedom. Removing those marks was far more important to him than keeping them was to me. But even then, he's gentle and compassionate in how he tells Lavellan what they are. And should she tell him no, he immediately stops her and accepts her decision. Her choice. He doesn't hate the marks on her because now she knows the truth and she's chosen for herself. That's all he ever wants.
He's kind and thoughtful, in everything he does. Cole, who sees through the mile-high walls Solas erects around himself, gravitates toward him and has obvious affection for him. He says, "Solas doesn't want to hurt people. He's not that kind of wolf." He sees the pain that Solas carries with him, forcing him to cling to his pride and control to keep him from buckling under the weight of his burden.
And that's the real tragedy of the character: the hell he's locked himself in. Even more tragic when I saw the gravestones in the Fade, and found out that Solas' greatest fear is dying alone. Cole mentions that he carries the guilt of "necessary deaths," and he punishes himself just as harshly for his own misdeeds as he punishes others for theirs. He has the blood of thousands on his hands, and he condemns himself to a literal eternity of loneliness, dooming himself to the one thing that truly terrifies him, because he destroyed the world to save it, and he will destroy it again to restore it. The chaos and death that erupted as a result of the Veil, he carries with him.
War and rebellion are ugly, brutal things, and he's seen the worst of it. He's very aware of the blood on his hands and hates himself for it. His guilt eats at him, and his pride is all he has to keep him from being torn apart. It's his armor.
But Lavellan is the only one who can chip away at that armor. We can see that softness underneath the carefully controlled facade. We can see his yearning to be seen and loved, his fear that Lavellan will see him as a monster, his embarrassment of knowing how the Dalish fear and scorn him. She's the only light in his darkness, and in Trespasser, we finally see him as he truly is.
Still merciful, he originally wants to let the remaining Qunari live. He tells the Qunari to bother him no more and begins to walk away. It's only after she tries to attack him that he kills her, and that is cold and calculated and smooth. Still carefully controlled. Compassion didn't work, so she died. No hesitation, no obvious remorse, no sign of the guilt of yet another life snuffed out because of him.
But the moment he hears Lavellan say his name, especially when comparing the romantic version to the friend version, we see that pride start to crumble. He kisses her one last time, his voice cracks as he promises that he will never forget her, then turns his back and walks away. In the friend version, he is still calm, cool, and collected as he leaves, his hands clasped behind his back and his head held high. In the romantic version, though, he almost shuffles away, his head down and arms at his side. The pride is gone, and he's a broken man, having finally torn himself apart in an effort to save Lavellan from the burden he carries. His guilt and self loathing are so far-reaching, that in his mind, he fully and completely believes that allowing her to stay with him would be far crueler to her than leaving her to suffer and die in the chaos as he destroys her world. In his mind, even a gruesome death would be better than allowing himself to be with her.
My first playthrough, what truly broke my heart the most was when Lavellan says, "I never thought of you as someone who would do that, Solas."
And he looks away, unable to hold her gaze, and replies simply, "Thank you."
His voice is breathy, almost a whisper. That meant more to him than when she told him she loved him. It hit him hard, and he wasn't expecting it to. He is reviled by the Dalish as a monster, something that hurts him deeply. Because, while he truly believes he's doing what is best for the world and everyone who will ever live in it, he's also done some terrible things to bring about the future he believes the world needs. He doesn't think he's a monster, but he never just simply accepts any truth blindly, even about himself. There's that small part of him that wonders. Hearing an affirmation from the one he trusts more than any other mortal alive, that she doesn't see him that way, that she sees him as a good man, stuns him, and the emotion in those two small words broke my heart.
He believes that he has condemned the world to suffer for millennia by erecting the Veil. Thousands of years of suffering, aging, and death, all because of him. He tried to save the world, and made it worse. There's no option in his mind. He has to fix it. The resulting chaos would be far kinder than to leave the world to suffer like this permanently. And knowing that, knowing that the blood of thousands, even millions, more innocent lives will be on his hands, destroys him.
And his punishment for causing all that pain? The worst thing he can possibly think of. To suffer just as they do. To be forever alone, forever separated from the only one who could draw his attention from the Fade. The only one who could give him a brief solace from the darkness threatening to swallow him up.
He wants nothing more than to fall to his knees beside her and cling to her, letting go of his pride and holding her as his armor, instead. Giving himself to her completely. He aches for it. She's young, barely more than a child in his eyes, and while he looks around and sees a gray, dim world, separated from the Fade, she shows him the beauty of it. But he is still fiercely protective, and he sees an innocence in her that he couldn't bear to taint with what he will have to do. With what he's already done. So he tears himself from her and walks away, broken and beaten, knowing that he'll never feel the comfort of her arms again. He'll never feel the relief from his pain, that only she can give him.
For him, it's a fate worse than death, and it's the one he's convinced he deserves.
He's a masterpiece of a character. Masterfully written, beautifully animated, exquisitely voiced. My favorite DA character by far, and my second favorite BW romance (after Garrus and Femshep, in no small part because that one spans three games and I get tons of adorably flustered and sweet Garrus scenes. Should this romance with Solas span three games, it could easily become my favorite).
I don't ever expect this romance to have a happy ending, because the pain Solas carries with him is too much a part of him now to ever untangle himself from. Even if Lavellan can convince him to change his mind about the Veil, she'll never be able to convince him that he's worth saving, and he loves her too much to let her try. He'll die alone before allowing her to risk her life or her spirit to redeem him. I do, however, think he deserves just one night that he doesn't have to be alone. Not even a sexual experience, just being able to fall asleep in her arms, walk through the Fade with her, and then wake up, still held tightly in her embrace as she sleeps. The woman who knows exactly who and what he is, exactly what he's done, and loves him anyway. Even after he's hurt her, broken her heart, abandoned her, her spirit refuses to be broken, and she still accepts him.
He deserves one night where he's not alone. One bittersweet memory he can look back on, remembering how it felt to wake up to the warmth of her body embracing him. The only time since erecting the Veil that he was actually happy to wake up. He deserves that, and it's something he could be convinced to allow Levallen to give him.
what a perfect text.
do you expect a good ending for the solas?
Excellent comment. I still have hope. One of the last few things he says in trespasser, is along the lines of how he would be glad to be proved wrong, again. And at the very end, it mentions our character seeing a wolf in her dreams and that she is still seeking for a way to reach Solas and change his heart. Patrick Weekes mentions something here about the original vision of David being epic and heartbreaking, but goes on to say that he doesn't want to imitate that same vision, and his will be different. It may be doomed no matter what, but I think there's a good chance that they will actually allow us to reach a happier, more fulfilling end for Solas and especially for characters who romanced him.
I just wish we could continue as our DA:I character. It makes for a far stronger story if we're playing as the one who has a deep connection and a lot of emotional weight to our feelings for the villain. It makes no sense to sideline that character and have them play no or very little role in how his story plays out. At the very least we need to be able to make some decisions as our previous character in the next game.
@@11s11s1 i would love a sort of happy ending with solas. This game already broke my heart so many times i really want to be given the option of being with solas in the end
he is an anti hero and i looooooooved him
Why have I only now found this interview? It's fascinating to hear some many details of his character creation that I don't think have been mentioned elsewhere.
Horse Master Dennet turned out to be a surprisingly deep character.
Also, I really want to hear Patrick Weekes about Cole. He can't have been easy to write.
How did I miss this? Was really good to hear about DA, even though this interview is old
Just saw this in my feed months later.
Same
Please Patrick 😢 I need a Solas love making scene
Solas broke me. He was the best character by far (and I like them all). But solas, damn it wasn't his voice so much for me as his personality and knowledge and Outlook on life but his voice did help lol
Solas is a fascinating character. I got some clues the first play and did a second play though where I paid more attention. The first playthrough I figured he was a lot older by possibly thousands of years old. He's a being who clearly made some terrible decisions which most likely had some highly unexpected consequences. The final conversation gives us real insight. I do hope we see more of him in the next game. I also have to say here that the voice actor Gareth David Lloyd really brought this character to life for me.
Solas is my ultimate fantasy and the dreadwolf reveal made him that much hotter. I never wanted a cooshy romance like with cullen, the idea that I live in eternal torment trying to convince a broken man that he is worthy of love despite himself was the hottest and most fantasy fullfilling thing ever. Also the professor student relationship has always been a thing for me, solas took that and made it DEEPER. He is incredible as a character.
JFC you Dragon Age fangirls are so ridiculously shallow
Have people react angrily?
Me: Oh no, not really. Just got a depression because of Solavellan and
fall in that hell for like at least twice a month. Totally not
emotionally engaged. I'm okay! .. .*sobbs* I need to go get someone to
cuddle my little broken dalish heart...
Ty so much for the interview. Guys like you, Jackdaw and Ghil keep the community alive
Q_Q In one interview this sadist admits to including the Solavellan romance to make everything sadder. I felt used.
I cant even imagine how hard it was writing Here Lies The Abyss with all possible combinations of characters.
I’d love to hear what Patrick has to say post Trespasser DLC (mostly to explain why the option of asking to join Solas post romance is rejected) and the new DA4 trailer reveal.
Yeah same
Horse Master Dennet, the most mysterious antagonist of the dragon age series
I’m still so in love with Solas 😢 I hope we can make things right in the next game. My poor elf
The music at the end 😢. Gonna have to play some DAI again.
Solas in musical theater . . .
That made me laught too hard
Other people: Facepalm
Me, an intellectual: The slap of the forehead
It is funny the part Patrick talks about how Solas never lies, but avoids direct and upfoward answers.
That is exactly how the devil behaves, there is a philosopher who says that "the devil will deceive you a lot more disguising himself as yourself than if he appears to you in a beautiful angelical form"
I was turned on to this podcast / channel by a retweet from @GhilDirthalen.... and I love it. I plan on listening to some of the older ones to catch up. As someone who thinks of themselves as an intellectual, but has difficulty reading / paying attention due to bad corneas and learning disabilities... audible narratives are where it's at for me. (by audible I mean audio, not the book service by amazon, although I like that as well.) :)
That's very sweet of you to say and I'm honoured that you are interested in what I have to say - if you want a Dragon Age fix, here's some of my oldies...
ruclips.net/video/lOcTKLWLvqs/видео.html
ruclips.net/video/7rCLuxp2EpE/видео.html
ruclips.net/video/5874CRBcCRM/видео.html
Ooo I wonder if they’ll use some of cut plot line with the Architect in DA4 at Weisshaupt. If he’s involved the Grey Warden civil war that’s hinted at at the end of Inquisition makes a hell of a lot of sense. (Agree it wouldn’t of worked in Inquisition)
Damn I agree the Architect was so freaking cool and interesting in past Dragon Age stuff I really hope he comes back in some way.
He said what Dave had planned for the story was heartbreaking... I'm extremely concerned now coz solas romance was hella heartbreaking and that wasn't part of the plan so god knows whats coming.
So I’ve played dragon age inquisition more times than I can count because listen I paid 30$ for this game if you think I’m not gonna squeeze every ounce of content out of it in which I can you are sorely mistaken, and yeah solas’s character is definitely my favorite, he’s just so complex and intellectual and it’s just great, I mean my friend desperately tries to convince me to go for a different romance rout but I refuse in terms of solas is best boy and yeah
Say what you want about BIOWARE, but let's admit that no other developer writes game characters so deep and complex that you forget they are just code and pixels in a game. I have forgiven Solas for messing with my heart, but I can't forgive him for messing with my brain. I'll wait and see how he will act in DA 4, before I decide whether to kill or redeem him.
I guess you've only ever played Bioware games then
When are they going to fight for a romance with Varric though... maybe?? Haha idk
Sigh if only Varric was romanceable
Not everyone has to be. Sheesh.
Although it might have been nice to have like...a deep male friendship where Solas would remove the vallaslin. They have mods for this, but it would've been nice if it was NOT needed. Like, the Solas Romance but without the lovey dovey part.
Then that takes away even more unique content from his romance.
I always read Solas' arch as:
Ancient world was split between old dragon gods 'evil' & Elven 'good gods' who used the powers of the fade to shape the creative world.
These factions were at war. Slavery of elves became accepted. Mysterious, dark (abyssal?) magic was used to fight the Titans & Old Gods.
Solas lead a rebellion against the status quo. He betrayed both Gods & neutered their power by building the veil.
Either related to him or to the war itself, I think the blight was also a result.
So Solas rebelled but the new world is worse. A blight spread to the old gods, corrupted human flesh in dark magic. Elves died young with no present fade. Magic and spirits became demonized.
Solas' pride wrought this all, yet it was because the status quo was so abominable already.
Elven gods were NOT good. Read the lore again. It was a dystopian nightmare.
I believe Solas is either a spirit of Wisdom or one of Pride (that wishes to be Wisdom), that Mythal asked to form a body
I swear if the new dragon age game doesn’t have more than 5 hairstyles I’m gonna throw a riot
i will literally throw up but they physics look SO GOOD
I personally find Solas quite enjoyable.
I loved listening to this, I romanced Solas in inquisition so I can't wait to see what new things happen with the upcoming game. Will romancing him make a difference that's my biggest question
Great video, but I'm more concerned about BW screwing up their last chance of redemption through DA4 :(
WHAT wdym
How do you remove a story quest involving the wardens, the architect and the hero of Ferelden but keep the mages time/future quest. The mages plot felt so out of place to me. Id be head over heels to see the hero of Ferelden and the Architect again!
Fen'Harel
Hey! This is lovely and I am super glad that you are talking to Patrick Weekes; FYI, they use they/them pronouns, not he/him. Thanks for the great content!
lol
Yes! Thank you. I feel sad everytime they're misgendered.
@megasauruss He doesn't feel sad everytime he's "misgendered" in the video.
Wait this was pre-Trespasser? Dang. Weird it just came out in 2019.
Great interview. Thanks!
Solas is a bit like Loki, but not from the Avengers but from the Eddas
Dammit, Patrick. I just wanted to romance him for some added background info. Why you make me love him?!
29:16 - 29:30
I mean...they’re not wrong 😂
The only character I'm interested in hearing more about is the Hero of Ferelden.
As for Solas, I suspected he was involved when he knew about the anchor. I knew he was involved when he mentioned the "artifact" that caused the explosion. I assumed he was Fen'Harel when he started painting pictures of wolves in Skyhold to depict Haven despite there being no wolves around Haven. All his Fade talk also tipped me off. His story about seeing the Hero light the beacon at Ishal sealed it for me, but that's because I had a theory about Ishal and Flemeth. So I made the connection at that point. He was also pretty touchy at the Temple of Mythal. His desire to recover the orb was also a dead giveaway that he was involved and wants to tear down the Veil. His talk of a world with spirits was also a tip of the hand. Solas is one of the reasons why I made my Inquisitor a Rift Mage, because I knew Solas was going to turn on me somehow, or at least leave the party.
So after the credits I was not surprised to hear Flemeth call him the Dread Wolf.
As for Hawke, I appreciate the attempt at portraying Hawke, but it wasn't done properly. Hawke always has a problem with bloodmagic, even if a blood mage. Hawke always has a problem with the Wardens even if Stroud saved Bethany or Carver. This all could have been avoided using Dragon Age Keep, but it wasn't. Hawke was funneled into one path. This just so happened to work out fine for me since I have always seen Hawke as BioWare's character, and it's rather obvious that Hawke would have a problem with bloodmagic. A mage Hawke makes no sense in context of DA2, so that's off the table.
Similar case with Loghain. I can see Alistair and Stroud being in favor of the Wardens despite their failings, but Loghain? Come on.
Hero of Fereldan isnt that interesting imo. Better romances and a bit darker grittier questing is really the only thing that stands out from origins to me. The overal story wasnt though.
Inquisiton and Solas and the implications of his Awakening are FAR more interesting to me.
The blight is a topic hes clearly familiar with to because in one of the texts ingame its revealed the blight is a weapon created by one of the Evanuris who ventured "into the void" which I assume means somewhere deep in the fade but a much darker area of it. It could also mean underground where th Evanuris had banished the "forgotten ones" and got the knowledge from them. Which coincidentaly means that the blight can be removed if the Evanuris reveal how to.
I mean they did have the blight sealed back in Arlathan until the Magisters released it from Arlathan (the golden city) by accident since the Veil Solas created pretty much broke everything the elves built. Both prison, structures, cities, weapons, etc...
So I guess solas takes some of the blame since the Evanuris did have the blight under control and sealed as their personal weapon until the veil broke the seal and the Tevinter Magisters unknowingly released it believing that the Golden city was the seat of the maker when in reality its Arlathan dark and destroyed by Solas's actions.
Whats interesting to ME though is where exactly did Solas banish the Evanuris? I'd assume that the Magisters would have encountered them but they didnt. Which means that Solas did something particular to seal them away.
If you look at Solas to closely he appears insane since he want to kill millions just to bring back a dystopian nightmare. Demons are part of his team and they are friend to no mortal including elves.
@@draconisdragonheart4248 Solas would likely argue with that. From his perspective, the existing world is the true dystopian nightmare. Everyone born into the current world dies eventually. In Solas' world, everyone is ageless. That factor alone means his world is better for people to live in.
@@BelieveIt1051 Your comment: In Solas' world, everyone is ageless.
He doesn't mean mortals. You are not what he is protecting. Mortals will die. Demons will have total access to all mortals they want. "Fen'Harel," a person that is pretty much the elf equivalent of Loki. Specifically, he is known for betrayal. If you read the lore, Elven gods were dictators and elves were pretty much their slaves.
@@draconisdragonheart4248 I'm just saying that in Solas' eyes, all mortals are going to die eventually anyway. So destroying the world of mortals means nothing in the long run. He wants to replace a world of perpetual death with a world where no one dies of old age or sickness.
Great interview!
Excelent! Thank you.
I just beat the game and im playing for the second time and ... damn talking to solas again im like shit, hes so sneaky lmao
Welsh elf Sola's
I realize I'm late to the party, but...
I am a little bothered by the host stating that a player choosing a female Lavellan who romances Solas is such a small demographic of players. I feel like we are a pretty big gaming demographic on the whole, actually, but particularly among fans of Bioware-style games. (I had a whole, long essay-style rant about this written out, but it was way too long for a youtube comment, but it boiled down to even well-meaning people unknowingly buying into gender stereotypes.)
I didn’t suggest it was a small demo because of gender stereotypes. It’s a small demo because it’s already limited to players of a certain race, gender and romance choice . That’s a very VERY small percentage of the player base but it’s great they still wanted to have something special for those who made that choice
@@VideoGameSophistry Ah, I see what you mean. Thanks for clarifying that. :)
@@VideoGameSophistry Definitely more likely for people who replayed the 1st and 3rd games multiple times to try out every origin, race, and class to come across the various special interactions. The face tattoos being a mark that let the old elven gods control your body was a neat revelation I didn't know before being a female elven inquisitor. He confirms who he really is more clearly than ever if you do that story.
📙💯
Dude....that voice. I'd pay a subscription fee to hear you read tax regulations.
They/Them on his Twitter profile. I am sure this game is going to be an instant classic.
their twitter profile*
Dilean get outta here with that passive aggressive shit. They're a great writer, you're just salty.
What player wants to be strung along Romantically and
then cruelty dumped? How about how Solas lies from the beginnings . If you love and care for a romantic partner you don't string them along and lie and then dump them. Solas doesn't know how to love in my opinion .
Evidently many players loved this romance.
What I think you're missing is that the Inquisitor is a fictional character, not the real life person playing the game. My Lavellan is a character I made; she isn't me and I certainly would never use a video game as a guide to real life relationships. Sometimes the most fascinating and memorable stories and romances aren't the happy/healthy ones. Stories need tension and drama, and Solavellan delivers that in spades.
@@pilotg2075 of course I know their all fictional characters. I understand that you diagree but I have a right to voice my opinion , the fact that you disagree doesn't faze me. after all, as you said their all fictional . your free to have your own opinion.
(needlessly long rant incoming) One of the most disappointing things for me was that we couldn't romance Solas as a male elf inquisitor-- because it literally makes no sense at all. Here we have a man who cares so little about the physical, a man to whom the most important thing about a person is their Spirit..... but he'd only bang girls tho.
What makes it even more infuriating is that they voiced so many of the lines for the male inquisitors in a Solas romance, you can find them all in the game files. It's all there. But I guess it would just be too much work to adjust the animations a little bit (maker knows that's how they felt about dwarves and qunari inquisitors). I feel like any excuse they could come up with is garbage..
The race lock is more understandable, I think. But there's a lot of potential for a romance between Solas and an inqusitor of any race to be very good, it would even add in a new type of drama to the mix.
It's just so sad and unnecessary. Why can't the dudes get plot-heavy and tragic romances? After all these years, it would be nice to just hear Weekes and the rest admit that they made a mistake.
Sounds like a traditional guy. 🤔
@@moomimi lmao, me? 😅
@nathan smith lmao Solas is a magical fantasy elf my guy, you may also want to look up 'bisexuality', it's pretty cool
@nathan smith yeah, sure he likes elven women. That doesn't mean he can't also like men.
.. Uh, why does my opinion of a fictional character bother you so much?
@nathan smith buddy I think you're missing the point..
Anyway, we're not gonna agree, so why bother? Do my thoughts bother you that much?
I’ll enjoy ending him. Dwarves > long ears.
I'm sorry but I'll have to be the contrarian here. They did not do a good job on Inquisition at all.
Yes, when you look at the characters in a vacuum, they're well written for the most part and work internally. But the over-arching plot is pretty bad. A darkspawn magister is back and has some unexplained, unclear plan to return to the fade to claim divinity. There is no further information about any of this. What did he see? What happened? What does he want exactly? How does the breach factor into it? He hints at it and spouts vague ramblings but that's easy. Even I can write that. The future scene clearly show he just fucks it up so what's his plan? Make the world the fade and rule it? Why? We don't even get a conversation with him. No insights into why he seeks godhood or what that even means. You might say 'Why would he tell you this?' and the answer might be 'He wouldn't'. But the question you should be asking is 'Why are we not even aware of what exactly we're trying to prevent other than some vague end of the world shit?'
The story also hinges on some seriously contrived plot elements. Time travel. Fade visions. And then the assumption that Celene dying or the wardens not being freed means there is not a single other outcome than 'guess the world ends then'. Corypheus seems clueless and content to let his agents fail and his plans be foiled until he decided to 'lure' you over with not a clue about your capabilities. His dragon gets killed - despite being a horcrux and better off being elsewhere - and then he gets beaten too and... sent into the fade where he was trying to go? Excuse me?
Half the game's quest have no bearing on the main plot, Skyhold isn't attacked despite being the seat of power of the bad guy's main problem. The Wardens are suddenly all incredible idiots that get the calling - how does Cory even do this? - and decide it's time for blood magic and possession. I guess the right of conscription was employed lucratively in an institution for the mentally impaired. Some fear demon in the fade tries to kill us, fails and suddenly the wardens are fine? Did they just need a good speech saying 'Hey yo, possession and blood magic bad. Slaying demons and darkspawn good'? Really?
Celene won't take private audiences from the Inquisition? If you're not polite at a ball, you get kicked out, Celene murdered and it's instantly over because *obviously* Cory conquers the universe with ease once one person less is there to command Orlais? Seriously? You think this is how things work? Because it's not.
The Well of Sorrow feel like the product of too many re-writes. What exactly was it supposed to be? A place to gain power? Or knowledge? Or both? Or none because it plays no part at all after you get your dragon. So nothing the ancient priests knew of Mythal mentioned anything about Solas? Or the fade? Or how the Elvhen Empire ended? Convenient? What did Corypheus want with it? Would his servant not have been sworn to Mythal and thus forbidden to speak of anything to his master? Oops. And what did he even wish to learn from it? Should we or Morrigan not have learned that same info he wanted? Huh?
Don't even get me started on how they did Hawke dirty. Gets killed in the fade offscreen like a lemming. And at the end handicapped the inquisitor juuuust so they can validate using another protagonist next game, as if that was required. "Solas knows all about us. So despite being a bunch of coordinated, effective and completely capable badasses, let's hedge our bets on some guy in Tevinter who will fix our problem for us with minimal coordination or intervention from out part. I wonder if DA:4 will include the Inquisitor meeting and working with the new character to counteract Solas or if the plot will veer wildly off course in some Qunari plot and once we run into Solas, the inquisitor will show up and go like 'Yo mate, lemme tell you about this egg so you know what he can do.'?
Origins had a clear, concise plot with a defined goal, multiple outcomes and means of achieving it and a decent ending for its hero. Compare that to the thin veil - if you'll forgive the pun - draped around this emaciated plotline and it's quite clear throwing yourself a ball out on confidence might be misplaced. Although to continue the metaphor. You'll throw a ball as if playing football, to then kick it into a goal as of playing soccer and call it a success.
Never understood the appeal around this guy. Just seemed like a bald elven replacement for morrigan/flemeth.
Think I would've preferred a more loki/joker character. Quiet braniacs that don't share their emotions never did it for me.