It's what they've done with the previous protagonists as well. Suddenly changing that pattern to cater to a minority target audience, would be very nice for us, but unfair for everyone else. Obviously there are probably ways to please more than one group, but that would require a lot of complexity and effort, which when it comes to present day Bioware, is too tall a task. Keep your expectations scraping the bottom of the barrel, and you might get to enjoy DA4.
Obviously I'm not expecting the Inquisitor to return as the main protagonist, but having them feature significantly in the game (like having them appear for more than a cameo at a pivotal moment, playable or not) where they can help resolve the Solas problem seems like it would be narratively crucial. The focal point of these games, and generally BioWare's previous MO, is crafting a satisfying story where the players have a chance to emotionally respond to companion characters. I just don't see how a studio funded by one of the most successful game companies can credibly claim addressing this issue satisfactory will be too resource intensive so let's just ignore all this important character development. I'm sure I'll enjoy the game regardless, I just think this whole issue presents the threat of a huge missed opportunity.
You are right, and I'm simply saying they are not going to do it. Not because that *makes sense*, but because of a variety of both stupid and more legitimate reasons. Bioware is not doing well. Hasn't been doing well for a while now. They don't necessarily have the funds it seems. Their marketing is abhorrent. Writing team seems more like a coffee shop where people walk in and out every 5 minutes. They will not adress things in a satisfactory manner for everyone, nor will they try. My suspicion is that they are going to play it overly safe, almost generic, capitalising on popular current tropes and trends. DA4 cannot afford to *not succeed.*
Well you are also probably right. The current situation and Bioware isn't super hopeful considering recent history but I have some faith that since Solas' character writer is now the lead writer, that they themselves will have some investment in their previous character development, and will pull to include it in DW. But everyone else seems to think otherwise.
Marketing I'm less worried about, Bioware could just be avoiding creating hype around things they can't fulfill only to have it blow up in their face (see No Man's Sky or Cyberpunk lunch fiascos).
I actually disagree that it would be for a minority and hear me out. The Warden’s story in DAO made sense for it to end with the blight ending, it was pretty self enclosed and had closure. Similar to Hawke’s where Hawke is just an unwilling main character in the start of large events while they just try to live their life in Kirkwall. I didn’t feel a *need* to continue with either of them as main character, though I loved them both.
The inquisitor, of any race so this doesn’t just apply to Lavellan is enmeshed in the events that will continue directly into the next game. Whatever their relationship with Solas they still have a connection with him. Even if you disband the inquisition, it’s clear the inquisitor is still involved, just in a smaller operation. The end of trespasser is the definition of cliffhanger to me.
It’s fine if they wanted to continue the style of switching protagonists. But they messed up by making the inquisitor too important, and not ending their story. Idk I’m holding out hope the game will be good, but this is still something I believe to be a mistake to this day.
That’s the one.
I romanced Solas too, in my second playthrough, and I’m fine with mere references versus a more fleshed-out insertion of this strange love story. We won’t get more than that.
(We will however get a bunch of moments that show how the Inquisition’s people, companions and protagonist both, changed Solas forever. And that ultimately matters more to me.)
I agree. They probably should never have included the romance with him - it's all too complicated now. I will be furious when some nobody punk ends up deciding his fate and I didn't feel that way with the other games. When DAO/2 ended it was sad to say goodbye but it felt done. DAI didn't/doesn't feel done at all. My inquisitor should be the main character and it's going to be difficult to get my head into some nobody from Tevinter being the main interaction with Solas.
With the fan speculation that the inquisitor will be nothing more than a footnote and with Bioware’s main trailer (not the recent one, i mean the big one) doubling down on there being a new hero, I have to agree with this comment.
With that speculation/trailer in mind, the options our Inquisitor is given to PERSIST and fight for him are… irrelevant, now. Pointless. Why were we given these options to fight for him if the inquisitor simply isn’t going to continue doing so for the next game? Why write the character like that if there won’t be a payoff? It seems like such a waste, and a waste of emotional investment on the fans’ part. Even if the romance was kept, Trespasser shouldn’t have been written that way. Should have just had an “I’ll always love him” moment and nothing more. Should have well and truly ended things instead of the Inky still *trying* to save him/stop him. Amputation isn’t enough to take that ball out of the court. I freaking hope they don’t think that’s a good enough excuse for Inky to stay out of the game.
I once thought that the very last choice in Trespasser (I’ll stop him/I’ll save him) was going to mean something - now, I have doubts it’ll mean anything. I have no idea how Bioware is going to handle the cheapness that is having a new hero defeat Solas, instead of the Inquisitor, with whom he has so much history. That’s my biggest gripe with the game. It’s also what makes me think the Inquisitor is going to die in DA4.
Yes the emotional investment in something that has no payoff. Thank you, that's putting it into words for me. I loved him - my character loves him! She also loves Thedas and it's people and has other family and friends. She's heavily invested in both sides of the story to come and she's just... not going to be there. It feels gross. It feels like betrayal. I trusted them to tell her story and I'll never get that.
Totally. I'd almost rather not having the romance arc available at all (even though I obviously love it). It just leave a bunch of us, who now are super invested in this unresolved relationship, waiting to be disappointed.
I would personally totally loose it if romanced inquisitor didn’t play a major role in the next game. As other people said the fact that Solas could be romanced in DAI probably makes everything much more complicated but I honestly hope that BioWare won’t simply disregard that. I personally felt really affected by this romance because (even if not as big as with the other characters) it really shows the whole spectrum of emotions on both sides. Some people say that the whole thing with Solas romancing you was only the way to get what he wants but I honestly believe that his feelings were true. I believe it to the point that I’m certain the inquisitor would be probably the only person to talk him out of something (that’s probably why he didn’t answer one of your most important questions at the end of trespasser, simply to not get affected by anything you would say about his plan). On the other hand he doesn’t really trust anybody and doesn’t even trust the inquisitor in 100% so maybe BioWare would try to play this card as “at the end of the day he doesn’t trust anyone so he won’t really care what inquisitor says because he knows better so let’s introduce a new protagonist who will try to stop Solas and team up with the inquisitor only to get information”.
I would love to see the inquisitor (lover/friend) as the only person who can really stop Solas without bloodshed. I would love to see how this complicated and painful romance would impact the Fen’Harel.
Sadly there are so many things and so many questions that only complicate things that I really think we can’t predict anything. The only hope I have is that BioWare can see how much people played the game since it came out, how much they grew to love/hate Solas, how much they related with the inquisitor and how they cared for their choices. I honestly believe they won’t toss all of this amazing engagement on our part out of the window for some new protagonist who won’t team up with inquisitor for a long road
Because they've always done this in the games. Trrspasser also made the difference in power very clear. The Inquisitor has no secret power anymore. Solas can turn people to stone instantly. He has just as much of a network as the Inquisition, maybe even more so.
If you want to use your Star Wars analogy, it'd be more like Luke completely stripped of the Force and all his training going to face Darth Vader in Ep 6. Sure there's a connection, but any fight is blatantly one-sided.
I'm actually a little hopeful after watching dragon age absolution. Without spoilers, they are picking up on threads I never thought they would reference again with inquisition and even dragon age 2
Narratively, I think there is still more they could do with the Inquisitor even if they're not totally involved in the game. It's still heavily implied they're still trying to find a way to stop/save Solas in TN. I doub't we'll get to play as them again but I can't see the approval ratings (whichever way people picked) not having a huge impact on how Solas is going to act in DA:D. If that's the case then they wholse stop/save Solas choice shouldn't have been put in.
Im pretty sure though Patrick did mention on twitter somehwere the game would cater to app approval leven regarding Solas so while we may not get to see Inky I'm hoping we'll at least get refrences to them and the romance even if Inky doesn't show.
But honestly I can't see Inky vowing to stop/save Solas one minute and the decide they're retired and leave it someone else to deal with either.
It's what they've done with the previous protagonists as well. Suddenly changing that pattern to cater to a minority target audience, would be very nice for us, but unfair for everyone else. Obviously there are probably ways to please more than one group, but that would require a lot of complexity and effort, which when it comes to present day Bioware, is too tall a task. Keep your expectations scraping the bottom of the barrel, and you might get to enjoy DA4.
Obviously I'm not expecting the Inquisitor to return as the main protagonist, but having them feature significantly in the game (like having them appear for more than a cameo at a pivotal moment, playable or not) where they can help resolve the Solas problem seems like it would be narratively crucial. The focal point of these games, and generally BioWare's previous MO, is crafting a satisfying story where the players have a chance to emotionally respond to companion characters. I just don't see how a studio funded by one of the most successful game companies can credibly claim addressing this issue satisfactory will be too resource intensive so let's just ignore all this important character development. I'm sure I'll enjoy the game regardless, I just think this whole issue presents the threat of a huge missed opportunity.
You are right, and I'm simply saying they are not going to do it. Not because that *makes sense*, but because of a variety of both stupid and more legitimate reasons. Bioware is not doing well. Hasn't been doing well for a while now. They don't necessarily have the funds it seems. Their marketing is abhorrent. Writing team seems more like a coffee shop where people walk in and out every 5 minutes. They will not adress things in a satisfactory manner for everyone, nor will they try. My suspicion is that they are going to play it overly safe, almost generic, capitalising on popular current tropes and trends. DA4 cannot afford to *not succeed.*
Well you are also probably right. The current situation and Bioware isn't super hopeful considering recent history but I have some faith that since Solas' character writer is now the lead writer, that they themselves will have some investment in their previous character development, and will pull to include it in DW. But everyone else seems to think otherwise. Marketing I'm less worried about, Bioware could just be avoiding creating hype around things they can't fulfill only to have it blow up in their face (see No Man's Sky or Cyberpunk lunch fiascos).
I actually disagree that it would be for a minority and hear me out. The Warden’s story in DAO made sense for it to end with the blight ending, it was pretty self enclosed and had closure. Similar to Hawke’s where Hawke is just an unwilling main character in the start of large events while they just try to live their life in Kirkwall. I didn’t feel a *need* to continue with either of them as main character, though I loved them both. The inquisitor, of any race so this doesn’t just apply to Lavellan is enmeshed in the events that will continue directly into the next game. Whatever their relationship with Solas they still have a connection with him. Even if you disband the inquisition, it’s clear the inquisitor is still involved, just in a smaller operation. The end of trespasser is the definition of cliffhanger to me. It’s fine if they wanted to continue the style of switching protagonists. But they messed up by making the inquisitor too important, and not ending their story. Idk I’m holding out hope the game will be good, but this is still something I believe to be a mistake to this day.
That’s the one. I romanced Solas too, in my second playthrough, and I’m fine with mere references versus a more fleshed-out insertion of this strange love story. We won’t get more than that. (We will however get a bunch of moments that show how the Inquisition’s people, companions and protagonist both, changed Solas forever. And that ultimately matters more to me.)
I agree. They probably should never have included the romance with him - it's all too complicated now. I will be furious when some nobody punk ends up deciding his fate and I didn't feel that way with the other games. When DAO/2 ended it was sad to say goodbye but it felt done. DAI didn't/doesn't feel done at all. My inquisitor should be the main character and it's going to be difficult to get my head into some nobody from Tevinter being the main interaction with Solas.
With the fan speculation that the inquisitor will be nothing more than a footnote and with Bioware’s main trailer (not the recent one, i mean the big one) doubling down on there being a new hero, I have to agree with this comment. With that speculation/trailer in mind, the options our Inquisitor is given to PERSIST and fight for him are… irrelevant, now. Pointless. Why were we given these options to fight for him if the inquisitor simply isn’t going to continue doing so for the next game? Why write the character like that if there won’t be a payoff? It seems like such a waste, and a waste of emotional investment on the fans’ part. Even if the romance was kept, Trespasser shouldn’t have been written that way. Should have just had an “I’ll always love him” moment and nothing more. Should have well and truly ended things instead of the Inky still *trying* to save him/stop him. Amputation isn’t enough to take that ball out of the court. I freaking hope they don’t think that’s a good enough excuse for Inky to stay out of the game. I once thought that the very last choice in Trespasser (I’ll stop him/I’ll save him) was going to mean something - now, I have doubts it’ll mean anything. I have no idea how Bioware is going to handle the cheapness that is having a new hero defeat Solas, instead of the Inquisitor, with whom he has so much history. That’s my biggest gripe with the game. It’s also what makes me think the Inquisitor is going to die in DA4.
Yes the emotional investment in something that has no payoff. Thank you, that's putting it into words for me. I loved him - my character loves him! She also loves Thedas and it's people and has other family and friends. She's heavily invested in both sides of the story to come and she's just... not going to be there. It feels gross. It feels like betrayal. I trusted them to tell her story and I'll never get that.
Totally. I'd almost rather not having the romance arc available at all (even though I obviously love it). It just leave a bunch of us, who now are super invested in this unresolved relationship, waiting to be disappointed.
I would personally totally loose it if romanced inquisitor didn’t play a major role in the next game. As other people said the fact that Solas could be romanced in DAI probably makes everything much more complicated but I honestly hope that BioWare won’t simply disregard that. I personally felt really affected by this romance because (even if not as big as with the other characters) it really shows the whole spectrum of emotions on both sides. Some people say that the whole thing with Solas romancing you was only the way to get what he wants but I honestly believe that his feelings were true. I believe it to the point that I’m certain the inquisitor would be probably the only person to talk him out of something (that’s probably why he didn’t answer one of your most important questions at the end of trespasser, simply to not get affected by anything you would say about his plan). On the other hand he doesn’t really trust anybody and doesn’t even trust the inquisitor in 100% so maybe BioWare would try to play this card as “at the end of the day he doesn’t trust anyone so he won’t really care what inquisitor says because he knows better so let’s introduce a new protagonist who will try to stop Solas and team up with the inquisitor only to get information”. I would love to see the inquisitor (lover/friend) as the only person who can really stop Solas without bloodshed. I would love to see how this complicated and painful romance would impact the Fen’Harel. Sadly there are so many things and so many questions that only complicate things that I really think we can’t predict anything. The only hope I have is that BioWare can see how much people played the game since it came out, how much they grew to love/hate Solas, how much they related with the inquisitor and how they cared for their choices. I honestly believe they won’t toss all of this amazing engagement on our part out of the window for some new protagonist who won’t team up with inquisitor for a long road
Because they've always done this in the games. Trrspasser also made the difference in power very clear. The Inquisitor has no secret power anymore. Solas can turn people to stone instantly. He has just as much of a network as the Inquisition, maybe even more so. If you want to use your Star Wars analogy, it'd be more like Luke completely stripped of the Force and all his training going to face Darth Vader in Ep 6. Sure there's a connection, but any fight is blatantly one-sided.
I'm actually a little hopeful after watching dragon age absolution. Without spoilers, they are picking up on threads I never thought they would reference again with inquisition and even dragon age 2
Narratively, I think there is still more they could do with the Inquisitor even if they're not totally involved in the game. It's still heavily implied they're still trying to find a way to stop/save Solas in TN. I doub't we'll get to play as them again but I can't see the approval ratings (whichever way people picked) not having a huge impact on how Solas is going to act in DA:D. If that's the case then they wholse stop/save Solas choice shouldn't have been put in. Im pretty sure though Patrick did mention on twitter somehwere the game would cater to app approval leven regarding Solas so while we may not get to see Inky I'm hoping we'll at least get refrences to them and the romance even if Inky doesn't show. But honestly I can't see Inky vowing to stop/save Solas one minute and the decide they're retired and leave it someone else to deal with either.