Easter eggs (Dragon Age II)


 * In the Hanged Man tavern, there is a character called Talkative Man wandering the upper hall where (if spoken to) he will make references to popular series like 'The X Files' and will commonly break the fourth wall; wondering if he is just a character in a story and wishing that whomever is telling it had made him more handsome. He also makes a comment about things becoming more simple, a possible reference to the "streamlining" of the game.


 * Also in the Hanged Man - if you speak with Aveline, she will say, "A hive of scum and villainy, every city needs the outlet." The phrase 'hive of scum and villainy' is used by Obi-Wan Kenobi to describe the Mos Eisley spaceport in the original 1977 Star Wars.


 * Both Varric and Isabela will make comments about The Hanged Man, stating that it's "a place where everybody knows your name," a reference to the theme song from the popular 1980's sit-com, "Cheers".


 * When offered a ship by a Desire Demon, Isabela will reply with: "I like big boats, I cannot lie," a reference to the 1992 song "Baby Got Back", by hip hop artist Sir Mix-A-Lot.


 * Hawke makes a reference to the character Ugly Naked Guy in the sitcom 'Friends'. The comment is made by examining one of the windows in the newly reacquired Amell Estate.


 * When presenting the Deep Road entrance maps to Bartrand, he will inquire as to how you found them. If Anders is in the party, he will remark, "A wizard did it." This is a reference to the Xena episode of 'The Simpsons'. It is possibly also to the webcomic Penny Arcade.


 * In the campsite, during the Deep Roads excursion, two of Bartrand's hired men can be overheard discussing the possibility of a Grue attack in the darkened tunnels, a reference to the Zork game series, where Grues were used as a literary device to keep adventurers from entering darkened areas.


 * During your travels you may discover a ring called 'Three Wolf Boon'. This is reference to the internet meme 'Three Wolf Moon'.


 * During an encounter with a mage, Varric will make a reference to 'The Fugitive'.


 * If you speak to Varric in The Hanged Man, he will make a comment about a serving girl named 'Edwina'. This is a reference to Baldur's Gate 2, where the mage 'Edwin' is turned into a woman at the end of the game. She is also at the Gnawed Noble Tavern in Denerim and part of a quest in DA:O.


 * In Act 1, if you talk to the bartender at The Hanged Man then he may say something about the rapid decline in the pigeon population in Ferelden. This is a reference to Shale from Dragon Age: Origins.


 * In the Hanged Man, the waitress named Norah makes a comment about how Varric told her Hawke found a pair of magical pantaloons in the Deep Roads that glow when darkspawn are near. This is a reference to "The Lord of the Rings" in which Frodo Baggins has a sword that glows when orcs are near. It could also be a reference to Marics Blade from the Dragon Age novels, which glows when darkspawn are near and was found in the deep roads. The reference to "pantaloons" is a shout-out to an unmarked easter egg quest that continued through Baldur's Gate, Baldur's Gate 2, and BG2: Throne of Bhaal.


 * In the Hanged Man, while talking to the Drunk Patron he will sometimes say that Varric 'told him you are from Ferelden and that you escaped the Blight on the back of a Giant Turtle.' A possible reference to the way Captain Jack Sparrow from "Pirates of the Caribbean" claims to escape an island.


 * A random junk item can be found 'Rod of Fire Request Form' which is a reference to the Magi Origin quest item from Dragon Age: Origins.


 * In Act 3, after using Sandal's apparatus to add runes, he quotes from the movie Cold Comfort Farm: "I saw something nasty in the woodshed!"


 * In Act 3, when Isabela wants to use herself as bait, she will say, "Step 1. I turn myself in as bait. Step 2. Something happens. Step 3. Profit!" This is a reference to the popular Underwear Gnomes episode of South Park.


 * After a fight Varric will sometimes yell, "That's 3 for me, how many you got Hawke?" a reference from The Lord of the Rings when Gimli (also a dwarf) and Legolas were keeping score of how many foes they slew. A sarcastic Hawke will also make a comment about keeping score during battle.


 * After choosing the "Surprise Me" option at The Blooming Rose, one of the workers says "It was the name of his sled, from when he was a little kid!" referencing the ending to the movie, 'Citizen Kane'. He can also say "...he saw the head of the statue and that's when he knew he was on his planet the whole time"  a reference to 'The Planet of the Apes'.


 * If Hawke buys a drink in The Hanged Man, the drinking animation is the exact same one used by Shepard in Mass Effect 2, including the push back from bar with a head shake.


 * Fenris's Sister is said to live in Khorinis wich is also the Name of the main Town in Gothic 2.


 * In the Hanged Man on the wall near Isabela there is a painting of Oghren.


 * When adventuring with Isabella and Varric in the party during Act II Isabella will ask Varric about his new book. Varric will then say that his character needs to retire "He's getting too old for this shit"  a reference to Roger Murtaugh of Lethal Weapon


 * In Dragon Age II, the quest The Deep Roads Expedition in Act 1 is a reference of the quest "Ransom Imoen" of Baldur's Gate II : Shadows of Amn, like the purpose and the situation are exactly the same (find money through other quests in a city where the player has just landed, to start an expedition in a remote place).


 * In Dragon Age II, at The Hanged Man, the drinking animation is same to Commander Shepard's from Mass Effect 2.


 * At the camp in the Deep Roads in Dragon Age II, two hirelings can be heard talking. One will say, "I heard if you stay in the dark you will be eaten by a grue." This is a reference to the text adventure game Zork.


 * In Dragon Age II, Norah, in The Hanged Man Tavern will remark that a pair of pantaloons that glow blue when Darkspawn approach have been found in the Deep Roads expedition. This is a reference to the sword Sting, which was featured in both Tho Hobbit and The Lord of Rings, and glows blue when Orcs are near.