Forum:DA2: The Way It Should Have Been

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This has been coming looong but I didn't feel like writing that horrible wall of text I had on mind, so let's do it differently. There have been several discussions on what we would like to change in DA2 but I'd like to keep this thread concentrated solely on story improvements, particularly on those issues almost everyone feels uncomfortable with, and I believe it should be kept neat and organized.

-And civil. "Haters gonna hate" arguments are not welcome, and neither are "DA2 sux 'cus it's the worst game evar". Other than that, feel free to add as many topics as you wish.--Ygrain (talk) 16:17, December 7, 2011 (UTC)

I'm all for this topic :D--SunyiNyufi (talk) 16:53, December 7, 2011 (UTC)

Fill mage plot-holes

I included three of the most common plot holes below. Feel free to add to the list. Fritzywiggins (talk) 17:34, December 7, 2011 (UTC)

• There are no repercussions for being a blood mage, not even in party conversation. What might have been: affected party members could have brought the issue up in conversation, resulting in the party member leaving or possibly even attacking based on dialogue options chosen.
• Mage party members practice magic in the streets, which Anders and Merrill can somehow get away with for a decade without even having to leave their homes. Worse, Anders becomes visibly possessed by Justice, while Merrill can use blood magic, which makes their use of magic in the streets of Kirkwall even more conspicuous. However, party members address this issue in conversation, at least. What might have been: Quests involving Anders' and Merrill's status as apostates might have resulted in a more logical reason for their unusually stable housing situations. Another possibility is that Anders and Merrill could have changed home bases between chapters, which could be explained to the player in the codex and journal.
• Staves and robes are ridiculous dead giveaways that Hawke and other party members are mages. What might have been: The easiest solution would have been simply having more subtle armor and staff models, considering that the entire game takes place in the same city.

Incorporating family: Leandra

/copied from Forum: Why Hate?/I had an idea that during ActI, Leandra could have been a quest-giver. A strong and open-minded woman as I believe her to be, it would be little surprise if neighbours soon started to address her with their problems, which she in turn would present to Hawke: those little fetch missions, and even some of the main quests. In fact, Leandra insisting that Hawke really should do something, would be a nice indicator that This Is Important (and, to an unwilling Hawke, a little talk along the line "You're not getting any dinner, Garret Hawke, until-!"). I really wondered during ActI why I should bother following some vague rumours, or do these quests at all, and having Bartrand inform me that I have some unfinished business was rather lame (instead of "No, you're not going anywhere, darling, until you help our friends in need, didn't I and your father teach you at least that?") --Ygrain (talk) 15:29, December 7, 2011 (UTC)

Yeah, I could totally see Leandra as quest-giver and it would really make sense, and would give an other reason for a sarcastic Hawke to grow up a bit and get more serious. In Act 1 I thought that Hawke would just pretty much do anything as long she/he gets paid, and Bartrand's warning is at least more subtle than the one in Fallout New Vegas, where it pretty much says there is no turning back...yet some people complain about it lol. --SunyiNyufi (talk) 15:47, December 7, 2011 (UTC) /--Ygrain (talk) 16:17, December 7, 2011 (UTC)/

Introducing Orsino and Meredith during ActI

There are several ways they could have introduced Orisno and Meredith, and it should have happened way before the end of Act 2, though I'm not sure if Act 1 would be the right place for that. As I see it the best time for an intro would be the very beginning of Act 2. Hawke is already a noble at the time, heir to a very well known family (one of them almost became viscount after all), and is someone whom the viscount himself asks for a favor, so there is no reason for Hawke not to know the most important people in the city. They could have been introduced during a noble party, and interact a bit. Like Meredith saying what she says at the end of Act 2 only a bit different:

M: I know you. *dramatic pause* The name Hawke came up many times in my reports. Too many times.

H: Just trying to keep my home safe.

M: That is....admirable.

Or something like that. This way a mage Hawke wouldn't be outed right away, yet the tension of prey meeting hunter would be there. As for Orsino, I imagine he would be pretty casual with Hawke at first, since everyone in the city knows that Leandra ran away with an apostate, so he would chat with Hawke about Malcolm.--SunyiNyufi (talk) 16:53, December 7, 2011 (UTC)

We didn’t have to work for them right away, much in the same way we didn’t work for the Viscount until Act II, but we should have at least had some idea of who they were before Act III rolled around. This could easily have been done by following the classic Grand Theft Auto structure (especially given Hawke’s rise from the gutters): we hear about them from the start, brush up against people connected to them as we take our first low-paying jobs, eventually get work from their underlings, then do jobs for them directly (probably needing to pick sides, at that point). They sort of do this (kind of) with the Arishok, in that you come into contact with him before interacting with him becomes super-important to the plot. HELO (talk) 16:57, December 7, 2011 (UTC)

Yeah, something like that. I think it's vital for a story to introduce the main characters early on. If Hawke could be more involved in Wayward son, e.g. delivering a letter from Ariani to Orsino (she was in touch with him somehow, or am I wrong?), they could establish a first contact, and on the way through the Gallows, Hawke might encounter Meredith - even without actually talking to her, merely be witness to some issue she solves. Also, flashscenes of events Hawke is not directly experiencing, might serve this purpose - like in DAO when we saw what Loghain was doing while the Warden was elsewhere. --Ygrain (talk) 17:16, December 7, 2011 (UTC)