Easter eggs (Dragon Age II)

In Dragon Age II, there are multiple instances where the developers have included in-jokes. This article contains detailed information regarding these easter eggs.

Baldur's Gate Series

 * 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; 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).´
 * 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.
 * During combat, one of your companions will randomly yell "Go for the eyes!". This harkens back to the BG Series, when Minsc would yell to his 'miniature giant space hamster' companion, "Go for the eyes, Boo!"
 * If you have Isabela in your party when entering DuPuis' mansion, inspecting the note about a templar being reprimanded will cause her to say, "Squeaky wheel gets the grease?" Minsc of Baldur's Gate fame would sometimes say, "Squeaky wheel gets the kick!".

Dragon Age: Origins

 * The protagonist Hawke and his/her family are related to the human Warden from the Magi Origin through her mother, whose maiden name is Amell.
 * 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 Chantry, Bethany may mention Leliana, saying she misses her telling stories in Lothering.
 * Like Bethany, Aveline states she feels wary around Chantry Sisters, all because of a Red-Haired Trickster in Lothering. This is absolutely a reference to Leliana.
 * When approaching the Qunari Compound at the Kirkwall Docks, Bethany will mention that one of them killed her best friends back in Lothering, which is a reference to Sten from Dragon Age: Origins.
 * Hawke’s companion Aveline Vallen is in reference to the tale recited by Leliana of the legendary knight of Orlais of the same namesake. Both Aveline’s possess trait of courage and duty, and are powerful women amongst men.
 * 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 the Hanged Man on the wall near Isabela there is a painting of Oghren.
 * The maul Oath-Breaker is the counterpart to Origins longsword Oathkeeper, which is a reference to George R. R. Martin’s, “A Song of Ice and Fire”.
 * In a party banter with Aveline, Isabela makes several references to Origins, including "Shank your Jory", "Grey your Warden", "Master your Taint", and "Arl your Eamon".
 * Additionally, banter between Anders and Isabela references visiting the Pearl in Denerim and a worker there calling themselves The Lay Warden.
 * In both Dragon Age games, the player meets Isabela as she is being attacked by three men in a bar brawl, who are handily beaten by her and forced to flee.
 * Upon meeting King Alistair in Viscount's Keep, Alistair will say that Isabela looks different, to which Isabela will respond "Don't we all." This in probably an in-game joke referring to the changes in character appearance between the games. Here Alistair will also makes the comment that "swooping is bad," referencing his dialog when first meeting Morrigan. If imported from Origins where Alistair is exiled or selecting the "No Compromise" backstory, Alistair will be found intoxicated in The Hanged Man, were Isabela will remark upon Alistair and he will say she sounds like Morrigan.
 * After Hawke start contacts with Arishok, in Gamlen's House, Lweandra will mention Sten as a creature.
 * In party banter with Aveline and Merrill, Merrill will comment on how the Qunari seem to "enjoy being here"--Aveline responds: "From what I've seen, the Qunari don't seem to like anything." Merrill then states "the Qunari must like some things; sunshine, rainbows, butterflies?" Aveline's final response "If I see any Qunari admiring butterflies you'll be the first to know" is a reference to the Butterfly Sword, a prank (Negative gift) for Sten in Origins that he hates.
 * Sarcastic Hawke's "Shall I hand you a dagger so you can stab me in the back." during Isabela's betrayal in the fade is a shout-out to the Sarcastic Warden's "Shall I hand you a ladder so you can get off my back."

Additional Bioware Titles

 * Anders's situation in Dragon Age II bears resemblance to the character, Wild Flower, from Jade Empire, another BioWare title. (Since both characters are hosts to two separate 'good and evil' spirits to which they are bound.)
 * When asked about the origin of the name of his crossbow, Bianca, Varric will reply, "Well, Mirabelle was taken." This is a reference to the black powder firearm Mirabelle from Jade Empire.
 * 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.
 * Revann Thaig, as mentioned in the codex entry for the Rock Wraiths, may be a possible reference to Revan, a major character in BioWare's Knights of the Old Republic series.

Other

 * 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.

Other

 * The Act 2 quest To Catch a Thief is named after a 1952 David Dodge thriller novel of the same title.

Lord of the Rings

 * After a fight Varric will sometimes yell, "That's three 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.
 * 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.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. Additionally, you can find the One True Pantaloons as a random side-quest, although these may be the Dirt-encrusted Pantaloons from DA:O, reforged.

Star Wars

 * 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.

Other

 * 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 simpler, a possible reference to the "streamlining" of the game.
 * 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".
 * 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.
 * During the first encounter with Gascard DuPuis, Varric will make a reference to 'The Fugitive: "Twenty silvers if he says 'It wasn't me! The one armed man did it.'"
 * 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 have escaped an island.
 * 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 exciting happens. Step 3. Profit!" This is a reference to the popular Underwear Gnomes episode of South Park.
 * 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'. He may also say "...and that's when he realizes he's been dead the whole time" referencing the movie 'The Sixth Sense."
 * When adventuring with Isabela and Varric in the party during Act II Isabela 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
 * With Isabela and Anders in your party, Anders will ask Isabela her opinion of mages. She replies she is much more concerned about being stabbed, because you can hear an abomination coming as it says "Grrr... Argh!", a reference to Joss Whedon's Mutant Enemy Productions as shown at the end of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer", "Angel" and "Firefly".
 * Aveline speaks of Emeric and asks "Why can't he spend his declining years building a boat or something?" This could be a reference to Gibbs on NCIS, who spends his off-duty time building the boat and then taking it apart over and over again in his workshop in the basement of his house.
 * When beginning the quest Shepherding Wolves, if you have Fenris in your party, as the lady walks away with the thief, Fenris will say "She has chosen poorly." A reference to the Cup of Christ scene in Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade.
 * Armor available from a merchant in Act 3 has an electrical resistance of 1,210. Possibly a reference to the "Back to the Future" franchise, which requires "1.21 gigawatts" of electricity to power the "flux capacitor" in the time-traveling Delorean.

Miscellaneous

 * 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.
 * During your travels you may discover a ring called 'Three Wolf Boon'. This is reference to the internet meme 'Three Wolf Moon'.
 * In Act 3, a ring called Pretty Little Thing can be purchased from the Trinkets Emporium in Lowtown. This is likely a reference to Thénardier's song, "Dog Eat Dog" from Les Misérables. During the song, he sings, "Here's a tasty ring, pretty little thing, wouldn't want to waste it, that would really be a crime."
 * The quest Friends in Low Places may be a reference to the song of the same name by country musician Garth Brooks.
 * The quest Reining It In features a gang called 'The Reining Men', a reference to the song "It's Raining Men" by The Weather Girls.