Easter eggs (Dragon Age II)

For Easter eggs in Dragon Age: Origins and Dragon Age: Inquisition, see Easter eggs (Origins) and Easter eggs (Inquisition).

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

Video games

Baldur's Gate series

• 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 Origins.
• During combat, one of your companions will randomly yell "Go for the eyes!". This harkens back to the Baldur's Gate Series and Minsc's signature battle cry to his miniature giant space hamster companion, "Go for the eyes, Boo!"
• 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 an unmarked easter egg quest involving various precious-metal pantaloons that continued through Baldur's Gate, Baldur's Gate 2, BG2: Throne of Bhaal and The Lord of the rings (The Sting, a sword that glows when orcs are close). Additionally, you can find the One True Pantaloons as a random side-quest.

Dragon Age: Origins

• The first words that Flemeth says in Dragon Age II -- "Well, well, what have we here?" -- are exactly the words Morrigan said when the Warden first met her in Dragon Age: Origins.
• When Aveline calls Flemeth a Witch of the Wilds, she mentions one of the many names she's called, one being: "An old hag who talks too much". This is a reference to a line The Warden has when they first meet Flemeth and she asks what they think she is.
• 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.
• If The Warden remained romanced to Alistair and they weren't king and queen, the bartender at the Hanged Man may mention King Alistair having a mistress
• 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 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.
• A random junk item called 'Rod of Fire Request Form' can be found in the Templar Hall during The Last Straw, which is a reference to the Magi Origin quest item.
• In the Hanged Man on the wall near Isabela there is a painting of Oghren.
• The maul Oath-Breaker is the counterpart to the Origins longsword Oathkeeper, which is in turn 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 herself 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 is probably an in-game joke referring to the changes in character appearance between the games.
• King Alistair will also make the comment that "swooping is bad," referencing his dialog when first meeting Morrigan in Origins.
• If Alistair was exiled or the player selected the "No Compromise" backstory, he will be found in The Hanged Man. Isabela will remark upon meeting him in his drunken state and he will retort that she sounds like Morrigan.
• In party banter, Merrill will ask Varric about including a griffin in his stories to swoop in to save the day. Varric will respond with "Haven't you heard? Swooping is bad."
• After Hawke meets with the Arishok, in Gamlen's House, Leandra will mention Sten as a creature.
• In party banter, 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 gift for Sten in Origins.
• A sarcastic Hawke's response, "Shall I hand you a dagger so you can stab me in the back.", during Isabela's betrayal in the Fade is a reference to the Violent Warden's line "Shall I get you a ladder, so you can get off my back."

Mass Effect series

• In the Mark of the Assassin DLC, the study/trophy room contains the head of a krogan over the doorway.
• After killing the Wyvern in Mark of the Assassin, Duke Prosper will say that hunting the Wyvern is a "terrible risk, but the prize". This is a reference to an infamous line said by Jacob Taylor if successfully romanced by a female Commander Shepard.
• Tallis wields a dagger called Thane, named after Thane Krios.
• Ser Conrad Vernhart's name, from the 'How to Frame a Templar' quest, is a reference to the character Conrad Verner.

Other BioWare titles

• When asked about the origin of the name of his crossbow, Bianca, Varric will reply, "Mirabelle was taken." This is a reference to the black powder firearm Mirabelle from Jade Empire.
• 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.
• The Codex for the Sir Isaac Armor gives a somewhat vague reference to the plot of Dead Space 2.

Literature

Other

• The Act 2 quest To Catch a Thief is named after a 1952 David Dodge thriller novel of the same title. It could also simply be a reference to the common English proverb "It takes a thief to catch a thief," which was the statement the novel title and its later film adaptation were based upon.
• In Aveline's Questioning Beliefs quest in Act 3, she says she doesn't like to "go out with a whimper." This is a reference to T.S. Eliot's poem "The Hollow Men".
• In the Mark of the Assassin DLC, during the quest Heart of the Many, if the sneaky approach is taken to get to the vault, you can hear two servants having a conversation about Babbette de Launcet, who did not want her tea because it was too cold. The male servant replies, "Oh, of course. It's either too hot or too cold." The female servant adds, "Or her bed's either too soft or too lumpy." The male servant then notes, "Nothing is ever 'just right' with her. What a bitch." This is a reference to Goldilocks and the Three Bears.

Film and television

Lord of the Rings

• After a fight Varric will sometimes yell, "Another one 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.
• Bartrand Tethras's voice will, on the quest to get revenge for what he did in the deep roads, eventually get rather hoarse, and will say that the woman he sold the Lyrium idol to "stole it from [him], precious". This is a big nod towards Gollum from the Tolkien universe, who had a hoarse voice, and in particular to the Lord of the Rings, in which he claimed the hobbits stole his ring.

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.
• In the Gallows Courtyard during The Last Straw, if you have romanced Merrill, she will say, "I love you". The diplomatic response option is "I know." This is a reference to the famous line between Leia and Han Solo in Empire Strikes Back before Han is frozen into carbonite.

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 Simpsons.
• 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 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!" [1]
• In Act 1, after the elimination of the "Redwater Teeth" gang in the Docks, the Completed Quests entry is updated with the phrase "The Redwater Teeth were once called the Dandey Lampreys. True Story.", a reference to Barney Stinson's popular line in "How I Met Your Mother" TV series.
• 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, as "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 [2] as shown at the end of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer", "Angel" and "Firefly".
• There is a continuation of the references to Tuesday relating to "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" from Dragon Age: Origins. During The Last Straw and siding with the templars, speaking with Fenris leads to the humorous dialogue of "Abominations and blood mages? Sounds like a Tuesday." Also during Baiting a Wyvern, Tallis remarks during a hunting grounds cutscene, "What do you call it when you kill someone in order to get all their stuff?" to which an Aggressive personality Hawke responds, "Tuesday."
  • This is, in turn, a reference to the Street Fighter movie, and M. Bison's line explaining how he doesn't remember killing Chun Li's father: "For you, the day Bison graced your village was the most important day of your life. But for me, it was Tuesday"

• 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'.
• The hesitant way in which Hawke removes the idol from its resting place, mimics the intro scene from 'Raiders of the Lost Ark'.
• One of the dockhands in the daytime docks area says "I load sixteen tons and what do I get?" - a reference to the 1946 hit "Sixteen Tons" by American country singer Merle Travis.
• In the DLC Legacy, when Varric is talking to Gerav about Hawke's blood he asks if Gerav wants to bathe in it and not age, and states that Hawke's no virgin. A reference to the myth of Countess Elizabeth Bathory bathing in virgins' blood to keep her youth.
• In the DLC Legacy, when in the Deep Roads and hearing voices Anders says he hopes he can keep control against them. A humorous/charming Hawke will reply, "Think... happy thoughts! Raindrops, roses, kittens!" This is a reference to the song "Favorite Things" from "The Sound of Music".
• When examining the bookshelf in the Hawke Estate one of several texts on the case is "Hard in Hightown: Siege Harder" by Varric – a reference to Die Hard 2 and its movie poster and its alternate title "Die Hard 2: Die Harder".

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 a reference to the internet meme 'Three Wolf Moon'
• One of Varric's random cutscenes with Dog in the Hawke estate is about him teaching Dog to play a gambling card game; he gives dog some tips on tells and says he is "still better than Anders". This is a reference to C.M Coolidge's painting of "Dogs playing poker". The game he mentions, Diamondback, was a gambling game invented in the comic book "Cerebus". Actual Diamondback sets were produced and sold.
• During Mark of the Assassin, at the base of a steep hill next to the Andraste's Mantle plant lie the remains of a person crushed to death by a wheel of cheese. This is likely a reference to the famous Cooper's Hill Cheese Roll of Gloucestershire, UK.