Stop and Go – Julie plays Inquisition Pt. 3
Something weird is happening to our DAI playthrough.
While both Anna and I are deeply in love with our respective characters and their stories, we both have zero enthusiasm to continue playing. At the moment, I am shortly before Adamant fortress and I am wildly determined to push through to at least after the Fade Quest before Mass Effect Andromeda is released … but it is slow playing. I still want to get to at least the three DLCs because I haven’t played two of them yet but I have to consciously make time to play. And playing Trespasser means getting through the game, means ignoring honestly every single sidequest except companion quests because *ugh*.
However, for now, have a little update on my playthrough.
So here we are, Skyhold. And as usual, I get bombarded with quests. Go see my mysterious friend, go save the Empress, can you please save my friend and meet my parents and follow up that lead and save my hide and also family?
And I sit there, and am overwhelmed and do nothing for the main story for far too long. Well. As long as we’re not doing anything coherent, we can just as well do some of the aforementioned companion quests and go get our specialisation! \o/
So we’re off becoming best friends with our favourite necromancer (and encourage him to at least talk with his father), talk with everyone, get Cullen off Lyrium because OF COURSE WE DO (like there is a choice and if you don’t agree get off my lawn), surprise Sera with acceptance, do a bunch of wartable quests (many of which are way more interesting than actual quests), give Vivienne the Heart of a Snowy Wyvern and welcome our trainers, deciding on which specialisation to get.
The last time I played a mage, I took the Rift mage specialisation because Solas, but this time I actually listened to what the trainers say.
It is chilling, to say the least.
The Rift mage barely remembers anything beyond being a Rift mage, the Necromancer is seriously creepy (MAKE THE DEAD FIGHT FOR YOU MWHAHAHAHAHA) and the only one more or less encouraging and fit for a leader is the Knight Enchanter. Fittingly, the fighting style is an old elven tradition and Lyssa being who she is, the part where her trainer talks about “become the leader you need to be” (or something similar) is really good for her. Roleplaywise, this is the moment where she really accepts the responsibility of being Inquisitor.
And apart from getting to know our companions, we do one crucial quest.
I love this quest because it says so much about Solas’ character – one of the few quests. I do love the romance with him but mainly because of Trespasser and the many implications – not because of the way it is displayed in the game itself. Where you have some sort of romance scene you can trigger at any time with the other romancable characters (or at least with most of them, I’m thinking of Cullen’s and Josie’s adorable kisses) you have nothing like that with Solas after the romance is set. Which is pretty early if you have his approval. I love the two kiss scenes (three, if you count the break up later in the game) and I’m really annoyed one does not have more. Not a single moment where you can chose a flirt/romance conversation option.
Ah well.
Afterwards, we finally go to Halamshiral.
I hate that quest.
I find it boring and annoying and the stupid timing thing… This time I didn’t bother collecting the Halla statues but just cheated them into the game, so I could open all doors without annoying jump-and-search stuff. It helped a lot, actually.
I wrote two scenes about how Lyssa experienced Halamshiral, if you care to read them: Masks of Gold and Lies and Hands Dripping with Blood.
Playing an elf it is never an option to let Celene live for me. Although I haven’t read The Masked Empire where you get the backstory for it all, Anna told me enough (and I read up on it) that keeping her alive is just unthinkable, especially if you play an elf. It is also one of the reasons I don’t like the mission that much. Celene butchered a whole alienage which is not something that goes by the elves – not even Dalish, I’d imagine, they take in enough refugees from the alienages – but you don’t hear about it at all in the game itself. Not even via Briala. There could have been so much backstory and facts in conversations and letters which would have made the decision more interesting but basically, it falls flat. A real pity, it could have been amazing.
However, I got the chance to storm around in the castle with my favourite companion combination:
Archer, mage and two close quarter fighters, YAY. By now, I also finally checked how I get my guard up, so I manage to get through most fights. But I’m really not that good with them still. This combination of fighters though works very well.
Having killed Floriane and put Briala as Shadow Empress behind Gaspard on the throne, I’m glad to leave that quest behind me and go to talk to Hawke.
Oh, and of course, Morrigan. ♥ I love her so much.
Even though I’m still kind of annoyed they used her as the one most familiar with ancient elven history instead of getting Merrill or Velanna. But well, there is the thing with Flemeth and Kieran, so I get that. And did I mention I love Morrigan?
Afterwards, there are more companion quests! So off we go, finding Cassandra’s seekers and give her the latest edition of Varric’s book (the cuteness of the scene! ♥) and make Bull Tal’Vashoth. That last one was kind of hard because while I love the Chargers, it makes total sense for a more political Inquisitor to sacrifice them for the first Qunari alliance EVER. Which is huge. And could potentially have so much impact on the story in general, apart from Bull’s personal storyline. Imagine if in a next game this decision could tip the scales against or for war with the Qunari! THE POSSIBILITIES. Which won’t happen, if I know Bioware.
By now, I am bored enough with the game that I decide to screw the in-game stuff – my headcanon is already fixed, I have the Solas-Lyssa romance and it will have the respective impact in Trespasser – that I decide to just roll with it and install the Multi Romance Mod. There are still romances I’d like to play – I adore the Cullen romance and I still wanted to play both the Sera and Josie romance – so off I go, ROMANCE THEM ALL! Because why not. At the moment, it keeps the game more interesting for me. And finally, I’m off to meet Hawke. Again. Say hello to Adriene. ♥
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