game time: Dragon Age Inquisition (2014)

[orangerful]

I DID IT!!!!!!!!!!



I finally finished my first playthrough of Dragon Age Inquisition!

I have about ten achievements I didn't get (that is, until they release some DLC...which I'm sure will happen as this is Bioware we are talking about. Plus it felt like there were lots of loose ends lying around that could easily become DLC) and most of those I know how to get next time, I just didn't take that path while playing the game.

As usual, by the end of the game, I finally understood the best way to play. This tends to happen with me and RPGs. I don't grasp all the intricacies until the final few hours and by then it's too late to turn back, only to think "okay, well next time I'll do that".

I played as a Dalish Rogue. (I always go rogue the first time).


Romanced: Blackwall (because when I started the game, I always had him in my party and I liked his sense of humor, though by the end I had switched him out with Cassandra so then he was just my bit on the side at Skyhold)

My default party was Cassandra, Dorian, and Solas. Solas annoyed me but he was the healer and I needed heals a LOT. And then we had the surprise twist at the end with Solas being even more of an asshole than we previously thought some ancient elf trickster god (thank you lostacanthus for explaining that to me) so then I was really perturbed...though I have to admit I actually enjoyed seeing "Solas Disapproves" pop up on the side...felt like that meant I had made the right decision.

Anyway, when forced to choose between Hawke and Stroud, I left Hawke behind to die. Well, honestly, I thought of it more as Hawke would be the kind of person to sacrifice herself for the greater good and we needed Stroud to help with the Grey Wardens. But oh the feels when I saw Varric's face afterwards. Next time, I think Hawke will have to survive (unless I use a world state with Alistair...then that will be a tough choice).

Vivienne was the only character I totally ignored. She pissed me off immediately with her "put all the mages in a circle" talk. I didn't kick her out of the inquisition but I just never talked to her again...until right at the very end when she asked me for the white Wyvern heart. And I got the heart for her, but she wouldn't tell me what it was for so I was like "NOPE!" and took my heart and left there. Maybe next time I'll put her in my party more. I was thinking of being a Mage in my second playthrough...I feel like that might lead to some interesting debates.

I sorta kinda accidentally ended up making Leliana the Divine. I was actually all about Cassandra and then I had a conversation with Leliana...after I sorta kinda told her to kill one of the preistess girls who was spying on us. And then I felt bad so when Leliana was all "I should be the Divine", my Inquisitor was all "yeah...suuuuuuure." And then it happened. Whoops.

Morrigan drank from the Well of Sorrows. Not sure if I actually could have done it or not, it pretended to give me the option but that seemed like a lot of responsibility so I let her drink up. Thank goodness! I didn't really want to BE a dragon.

I had seen images of Flemeth in the original marketing so I don't know why I was so surprised when she appeared at the end! I did like the idea that she may or may not be an elven god. Mythal. Andraste. Flemeth. Whatever.

Though I still really have no clue what happened in the post-credits scene with Flemeth and Solas. He couldn't get the jar of pickles ancient elven relic to open so he gave it to...an insane man-god creature? ...why was this a good idea? And who absorbed who in that final scene? I thought that Mythal had transferred to Solas' body. What was everyone else's interpretation?


I really did enjoy the game though. I could have done without all the crafting. I hate crafting. I'm awful at it and I tended to find better stuff almost immediately. I also had issues finding new potions, tonics, and grenades. And war mounts. But I think some of that was because I misunderstood the "valuables" category and kept selling items I needed to complete some side missions. Oops.

A worthy addition to the franchise, if a bit clunky at times. The story was interesting enough to keep me playing and I felt like it had a really good mix of main quests and stuff you had to search around for.

Now to figure out what to play next...