Dragon Age II: EA boogaloo

[hammerofglass]

Huh. I don't remember that at all. Do you happen to know the name of the quest or what triggers it? I'm starting a new playthrough, and this sounds like something to make sure I catch.

[Steve]

Now that the review is ended, there are a few things Chuck really didn't comment on. Either because he never found them, or he didn't think it worth it, or he's just so damn burnt out (the wasted potential really seems to get on his nerves, as it does with Voyager).

First, there is Sandal, and some of his more mysterious lines when he doesn't just go "Enchantment!" or simple words.


youtu.be/kyWOBsFokfk


youtu.be/cwa-mKETJW0


And then... there is the Enigma of Kirkwall. Twelve codex entries in all, four hidden in each Act, and if you miss one... too bad so sad. And what it has to say about Kirkwall is actually chilling, especially with the ramifications for the Mage issue.

[Nevix]

Considering Inq was billed as the Mage-Templar war, having the game then delay the issue even further is arguably the only thing worse that they could have done besides what they ended up doing.

All the endings are basically, "The Mages set up an independent college but the Templars don't like that."

Is that a Jojo's reference?!

Wait, no. I'm getting my franchises mixed up.

Is that a My Little Pony reference?!

[RobbyB1982]

And then... there is the Enigma of Kirkwall. Twelve codex entries in all, four hidden in each Act, and if you miss one... too bad so sad. And what it has to say about Kirkwall is actually chilling, especially with the ramifications for the Mage issue.

What did that end up being? I know I got those at the time because I got all the trophies and was super sure to get them because they were missable, but I don't remember at all.

And Sandal well... that's hard to comment on without greater context or payoff... if Chuck even saw it at all.

[hammerofglass]

And then... there is the Enigma of Kirkwall. Twelve codex entries in all, four hidden in each Act, and if you miss one... too bad so sad. And what it has to say about Kirkwall is actually chilling, especially with the ramifications for the Mage issue.

What did that end up being? I know I got those at the time because I got all the trophies and was super sure to get them because they were missable, but I don't remember at all.

And Sandal well... that's hard to comment on without greater context or payoff... if Chuck even saw it at all.

The entire city was built as a giant amplifier for blood magic in a way that also weakens the veil, and at it's height nearly one in ten slaves taken to the city simply vanish from record. Even the severs appear to be designed to handle draining blood on an industrial scale. That's why there are so many blood mages around, and why even non-mages can casually bargain with demons. The Band of Three (the in-universe authors of the theory) end up concluding it was intended to contact and possibly summon immensely powerful demons, including the Forbidden Ones. It's also possibly where Corypheus and friends launched their assault on the Golden City, but if so they were taking advantage of something built centuries before for other reasons.

[AlucardNoir]

And then... there is the Enigma of Kirkwall. Twelve codex entries in all, four hidden in each Act, and if you miss one... too bad so sad. And what it has to say about Kirkwall is actually chilling, especially with the ramifications for the Mage issue.

What did that end up being? I know I got those at the time because I got all the trophies and was super sure to get them because they were missable, but I don't remember at all.

And Sandal well... that's hard to comment on without greater context or payoff... if Chuck even saw it at all.

The entire city was built as a giant amplifier for blood magic in a way that also weakens the veil, and at it's height nearly one in ten slaves taken to the city simply vanish from record. Even the severs appear to be designed to handle draining blood on an industrial scale. That's why there are so many blood mages around, and why even non-mages can casually bargain with demons. The Band of Three (the in-universe authors of the theory) end up concluding it was intended to contact and possibly summon immensely powerful demons, including the Forbidden Ones. It's also possibly where Corypheus and friends launched their assault on the Golden City, but if so they were taking advantage of something built centuries before for other reasons.

Well, not so immensely powerful since we deal with Xebenkeck. Then again, she was the toughest fight in game, making Orsino's flesh golem abomination and Meridith's proto Red Templar look quaint by comparison... as it does the fight with the Arishock... you know what, I take that back. Immensely powerful demons it is.

[AllanO]

The entire city was built as a giant amplifier for blood magic in a way that also weakens the veil,

I was thinking that Anders blowing up the chantry (?) looked like the failure of the containment unit in Ghostbusters and now we have architectural magic amplification (like the skyscraper in Ghostbusters). Is DA2 secretly a homage to Ghostbusters?

Perhaps if I knew anything about DA2 outside of what came up in these reviews...

[Winter]

While I really enjoyed Chuck's review of DA2 and fully understand why he petered out towards the end there is a missed opportunity for a really good joke. After the Explosion of the Chantry I was kind of hoping to see this clip from Robin Hood Men in Tights after boom as it really does capture how so many fans felt after that moment.

https://yarn.co/yarn-clip/a977405d-e211 ... 3a1707a413

[Winter]

In regards to Anders and his fanaticism there's one moment that has always stood out to me and that's in his personal quest in Act 2, the whole Tranquil Solution and it's when you show him the note that proves that the Tranquil Solution began and ended with that one Templar and that even Meredith turned down the idea.

Let me repeat that, Meredith was approached with the idea to make every mage Tranquil and even she turned down the idea. Now whether this is because Meredith had some sort of standard or she just didn't think the idea wouldn't fly is a bit besides the point as regardless as to why she turned down the idea she still turned it down.

In contrast, Anders seems to have been planning to blow up the Chantry for some time and didn't go through with it because he didn't have what he needed to finish the job. Again I think that Velanna being the one who originally merged with Justice makes more sense cause as Chuck pointed out Anders logic for blowing up the Chantry is 12 kinds of stupid as all it does is justify the Templars fears of mages and creates a war where if they lost they would be longing for the days of Templar oversight and being force to live in the tower.

Velanna blowing up the Chantry and starting a war between Mages and Templars makes a bit more sense if you assume she did it in order to make humans pay for injustice hyped upon elves by creating a war that would either cripple humanity or, at the very least, keep them from bothering elves for a time as they killed each other.

Still wouldn't make the ending good but at least it the Mage Merged with Justice less of a idiot who shot their own cause in the foot.

[MetalixK]

The entire city was built as a giant amplifier for blood magic in a way that also weakens the veil, and at it's height nearly one in ten slaves taken to the city simply vanish from record. Even the severs appear to be designed to handle draining blood on an industrial scale. That's why there are so many blood mages around, and why even non-mages can casually bargain with demons. The Band of Three (the in-universe authors of the theory) end up concluding it was intended to contact and possibly summon immensely powerful demons, including the Forbidden Ones. It's also possibly where Corypheus and friends launched their assault on the Golden City, but if so they were taking advantage of something built centuries before for other reasons.

So basically, the Chantry screwed up on a truly awe inspiring scale by building a circle there.

In regards to Anders and his fanaticism there's one moment that has always stood out to me and that's in his personal quest in Act 2, the whole Tranquil Solution and it's when you show him the note that proves that the Tranquil Solution began and ended with that one Templar and that even Meredith turned down the idea.

Let me repeat that, Meredith was approached with the idea to make every mage Tranquil and even she turned down the idea. Now whether this is because Meredith had some sort of standard or she just didn't think the idea wouldn't fly is a bit besides the point as regardless as to why she turned down the idea she still turned it down.

Minor correction, she's actually doing it by the time Act 3 rolls around. Granted, Anders could've been planning it for longer than that, but Meridith had gone over the moral event horizon by this point.