Forum:Opinions so far on Dragon Age: Inquisition.

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(Warning, will contain spoilers for the first part of the game Dragon Age: Inquisition)

Let me be clear on this when I start. I loved Dragon Age: Origins. Even while writing this I have the urge to go back and start up a City Elf play through just because it's such an amazing game. I even liked Dragon Age 2 to some extent. Sure is was repetitive at times and the maps were painfully reused, but I enjoyed the first part of the game, exploring this amazing city, finding interesting character and places as you tried to gain the funds to make a home for your family. It got boring in the middle yes and the story conclusion was wacky and disappointing (for fuck sake Anders, what the hell!), but I still enjoyed my experience. And when Dragon Age Inquisition was announced, I was ecstatic. The third game in one of my most loved and cherished game series of all time? I couldn't be happier. And this time, everything sounded good, with massive areas, loads to do, a well thought out ending (looking at you ME3!). Sure, that fucking Dialogue Wheel was sill in the game, what wasn't there to be excited about. I got it the day it came out, put it in my PS4, turned it on. I've played the game for quite a few hours now, (after one damaged save forced a restart), seen the main villain, gotten up to Skyhold, sat in my throne and...

...Thought it pains me to say it...

...I don't want to keep playing...

Saying that hurts me more then you know. I didn't understand why at first, I was doing quests, finding new areas, talking to interesting people, feeling emotional (that Mage quest line... Poor Leliana...), and yet I don't want to go back on.

Then the reason hit me why I couldn't like it, what's spoiling this game to such an extreme...

Tedium.

This game is so fucking TEDIOUS! I am tired of walking around one boring woodland after then next, walking miles and miles to pick up the next fucking fetch quest item to get the next fucking war table mission to get A FUCKING SWORD POMMEL! WHAT THE HELL!!!

Ok calm down... calming... calm.

I should probably explain a bit more.

In Dragon Age Inquisition, there is nothing for you to do.

Well, that's a lie, there's tones and tones of stuff to do, but here's the problem.

It's all busy work.

Collect five shards, find five areas, kill ten Druffalo (Druffalo? Really? That's the best name you could come up with), find X to give him Y for Z, it's all the damn SAME!

Calming...

The quests are too MMO'e, walking around just for a reward that's not worth it, learning nothing new and interesting, never finding anything good along the way. "But Minticus!" you may say "this game is not the first to do this, why are you mad now?" I'll tell you, hypothetical reader. There's no story behind the quests. For comparison, the Brecillian Forest: Quest- Find an Acorn in another section of the map. This too is a fetch quest, so why is it memorable and interesting?

You were given it by a Talking Tree.

And not just any Talking Tree.

A rhyming Talking Tree.

Not only that, you found the acorn on an old hermit, who told teleported and told riddles.

And that was funny.

But so far, there is nothing like that in Inquisition. No drive that makes you want to complete the quest you have been given. I'll admit I'm still very early in the game, only at skyhold, but it's still there.

Speaking of skyhold, let's address that one Glaring problem.

That Fucking Wartable. What. The. Hell.

I'm sorry, I didn't realise I was playing a fucking Mobile game! Only I don't know the pin number or something so I can't spend money to speed it up like in a real mobile game. It's long, tedious, and almost NEVER worth it. Waiting three hours for what, a stupid amulet? The good, helpful missions are so rare that there's really no point having it at all. I know you could say ignore it, but I'm a completionist, I can't do that.

I don't want it there, I want it like Origins where it's always on the map and I can just walk there any time (speaking of which, I miss random encounters).

Calming... Calming...

I know I'm ranting alot, but it's because I loved Origins so much, and I'm sad with this game, and I'm angry at the reviews it's been getting. I don't want to be the only one that can't enjoy this game. I don't want to.

I have other complaints, no Party Storage chest, no major cities (I Loved Orzammar .Guess they didn't want to give players flashbacks of DA2), awful tactics settings, no way to see my companions approval etc. So, if you are still reading, I'll settle on 4 last things.

1)No feeling of accomplishment from battles and crafting.

2)After Skyhold, what am I trying to accomplish?

3)Where are all the characters I wanted to see from the last games?

And finally...

4)I feel NO threat from the main villain.

Let's start with one. I get no feeling of accomplishment from winning a fight. Remember the high dragon in DA:O? That titanic battle between a force of nature and you, a warrior and your comrades, fighting to survive. And remember the reward when you beat it? Dragon Bone, the stuff of legends, which can be used to create the best armour sets in the game. It's exhilarating. So why in Inquisition, when I finally kill my first Dragon, do I not feel the same? Don't get me wrong, it felt great to finally down the beast, showing who is the apex predator. But the reward was... Awful. A magic staff? I got an amazing one just by putting some markers down in the Hinterlands and going to the war table, why is this all I get? But Wait, Wade! Wade is asking me to give him the remains to make an amazing armour! This is going to be epic! Oh here it is, it's...

...just an amulet...

WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT????

I went through all that...

For THIS!!! NOT FAIR!!!

But speaking of dragon bone, this brings me to my next point.

The crafting ruins the game.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed making my sword Blight Born, a Masterwork Greatsword that corrupts all it touches. That's awesome! The thing is, now I don't need any other greatsword...

And there is the problem.

Once I crafted my Infinity Sword -1, ever weapon I got after was "Thanks for that. Sell...". same with the armour. There was no reason for me to go out and save a town anymore because there is no story behind it, like I said before, and now no reward behind it. I have no drive to keep playing.

Next is two. Two and four are kind of mixed together, but I'll mention that later. So I know what I need to do. I need to rescue the Empress from being assassinated and stop the world from ending yada yada. What I don't understand is why all of a sudden I have like 6 more area to go to. And that's my problem. I have places to go, but no reason why to go. They just opened up randomly, large areas with nothing in them but fucking FETCH QUESTS. I wasn't given a drive, basically some Venetori are there or some shit, they never really explain it. I don't want to go there because all I will do is walk around and pick stuff up, nothing more. I could ignore it yes, but I NEVER did that in origins. I went everywhere because I wanted to see what I could do here to help stop the Blight. In this, I don't see how it relates. This all relates to my biggest issue however, that the areas are just too BIG. The areas are massive and take so long to get around for almost no reward, it's just pointless. And I'll say it now. IT ALL LOOKS THE SAME! THE AREAS ARE MASSIVE BLANK CANVASES, INSIDE IT ALL LOOKS THE SAME!!!

Oh yeah, I was going to mention how 2 and 4 are linked. I never felt a drive to rescue the empress because the I felt the villain wasn't strong enough to be a threat. Get Hawke over there, maybe the Hero of Ferelden, villain stands no chance in hell.

Still with me. If you are, I want to thank you for listening to me cry into the void. Even if you think i'm a moron, thanks anyway.

Ok, now for 3. I'll admit i'm still early into the game, but I did my research. First off, no Bodahn and Sandal. Seriously, in DA2, they said they were going to work for the empress, so where are they? Sandal is thought to be the first dwarven mage. ISN'T THAT IMPORTANT? We only hear of Wade from inside the war table, and I don't know why.

But what of our companions? Avaline? Passing mention. Anders? Passing mention. Merril? Passing mention. Sebastian? Turned into a fucking tyrant and war table mission (Am I the only one who wanted to return to kirkwall? especially since it's now being invaded?). I want more! I want to see them!

At least the DA:O companions get a bit more love. Alister gets a whole 30 seconds of screen time if you made him king. Yay. (to be fair, you see him a lot more if you leave him in the wardens). Morrigan get's her own role in the story which i'll probably never get too. Everyone else? Never seen, some never even mentioned (Oghren *sniff*). Is it so much to want to see those characters I fell in love with again? God damn it Bioware...

And lastly, most importantly, the villain.

(Warring, I am about to start using his name. If you don't want to know who he is, skill to the line I will mark for you).

Ah, finally, I come to talk about him. Corypheus, the big bad, an ancient Magister of unrivalled power...

... That I already beat.

Easily...

with a low level Hawke...

I mean seriously? That's it? That's the best you could do? A magister who couldn't beat an apostate, a rookie Grey Warden, a dwarf and a retired Grey Warden is our villain? God Damn! This is supposed to be the guy who entered the golden city as a mortal! Yet now, when even stronger, he still need the damn elves to do anything? Are yo kidding me? The archdemon was a much bigger threat then him. Heck, Meredith was a much better threat then one guy I fought in the dlc of the game. I wanted more, and I know they could have done more.

---

Well, that's my rant over. I don't expect anyone to full read this, or anyone to agree with me, but I wanted to do it anyway. I wanted to shout that the game I loved so much isn't here, that it's not as enjoyable as everyone says it to be. I don't expect anyone to learn from what iv'e written, but even so, I want there to be someone who agrees with me, someone who also believe's that Dragon Age can be a much better game

Thank you for your time. --Minticus Maximus (talk) 22:22, December 6, 2014 (UTC)

Sign your posts. I didn't read most of that because you wrote that there were spoilers, but my take is this. I spent $64 on the game and got my money's worth at 10% of the game. So as long as the storyline holds up, I will call it a great game. But so far it hasn't even come close to Origins. But that's because Origins is such a great game. The bugs are tolerable, but it just makes me wonder what the heck BioWare was doing during the release date delays. Believe it! (talk) 21:10, December 6, 2014 (UTC)

I was expecting more from a crazy psychopathic dude who wants to become a God. I wanted a real fight, something I haven't seen since the days of Shepard Cousland confronting the Archdemon. --173.58.251.107 (talk) 21:19, December 6, 2014 (UTC)

Another one with potential to realize the truth: Dragon Age Inquisition is the worst game ever. NEVER a company lied in the face of their fans as they did with Inquisition! Return to origins my a**! Made for PC my a**! From PC and P&P RPG Players MY WHOLE FU**ING A**! Raoniluna (talk) 22:28, December 6, 2014 (UTC)

Your rant, lacking any arguments but containing a great deal of swearwords, is immature at the best, despicable at the worst. Caspoi (talk) 22:53, December 6, 2014 (UTC)

Yeah. Your post lack a reason for me to care. Also I've been officially an adult for 12 years, so it's been 12 years that I know that calling something childish is just a way to control people, but unlike me you don't seem to know that it works most on teenagers that actually want to prove something. I couldn't care less if I'm childish, I am indeed, I believe being childish is way superior to being an adult. But... well... did you have something to say or you were just "uselessly pointlessly" calling me childish? If that's it, thank you for stating the obvious. I'm childish and you can go back to feeling superior to my childishness, hope you enjoy it. Raoniluna (talk) 23:10, December 6, 2014 (UTC)

I did not write it to feel superior, I did it because your behavior warranted a reprimand. Caspoi (talk) 23:41, December 6, 2014 (UTC)

For someone who doesn't care you sure wrote a big paragraph about it, and just because you've been legally an adult for 12 years, doesn't make you an adult spiratially. -Faye Cousland

So DA: I is the Mass Effect 3 of the Dragon Age series? The one that is so well done in theory but not in practice? --173.58.251.107 (talk) 22:48, December 6, 2014 (UTC)

No, not really. If you haven't played it yourself I would withhold forming an opinion until you have played it for yourself. I haven't had a problem with any of the things he pointed out, because for the most part they are completely avoidable. And they DO have a purpose, collecting power. Closing Rifts and completing side quests actually is what allows you to progress on with the game. Plus the area's are just vastly different in design and such. Crafting and the War Table are completely avoidable if you want them to be, but crafting is such a simple process that it is no trouble to take 5 min to make a stronger armor of that is resistant to a specific element. And the war table tells a lot about backstory, especially your inquisitors origins. User:JoKr

I agree that some things in a game can be avoided if you don't like them, but that's a silly concept. the whole game should be enjoyable, you shouldn't have to miss key things like party story missions on the war table because large parts are so tedious. Also, about that crafting comment. While it's true that Crafting itself only takes two minutes max, the resource gathering can take an extremely long time if you want the best gear for your whole team. Running around the same area collecting paragons luster doesn't sound like a great way to spend an afternoon. --Minticus Maximus (talk) 00:33, December 7, 2014 (UTC)

It's a matter of perspective, because I haven't avoided anything personally, and I DO enjoy all the parts. But that's mainly cause I naturally collect most things as I walk so if I'm doing a side quest i'm also solving astrariums near by and getting any local Base Camps and gathering resources. It's not one or the other you just do it all naturally as you go. If I see resource I gather it as I go, so I never go out of my way to do so. Plus that's the benefit of the War Table, you can collect resources via the War Table so you don't have to if you're so inclined. Plus you REALLY don't need the best armor unless you're dragon hunting or something. User:JoKr

Good point, I'll withhold an opinion until I get the game itself, until then, I'll be tweaking the story of DA:O and DAII the way I want it to go. --173.58.251.107 (talk) 00:12, December 7, 2014 (UTC)

Go on the Keep, that's how you import it anyway and will help show you the important choices. And Side quest wise I never had a problem with them because it's not like you do one and go back and then do another. You can do three in a general area before heading back to the destination. And you can always find enemies to fight. Plus I loved the combat and the return of strategy elements. This guy has a right to his opinion and he's not the only one but he is in the serious minority. The game JUST one game of the year today, Most people love it and I have already invested at least 130 hours or more. The bad guy might not have a big physical presence in the game but he is felt always and a serious looming shadow. Plus all of the companions are so much more well rounded in this game. No one is what they seem on the surface and they have deep emotional motivations that aren't so obvious User:JoKr

The emotional delivery the OP uses sort of disguises his points I think, but many of his points are not at all inaccurate. I'm not done with the game yet either, though I too feel no absolutely pressing need to finish so I'll just leisurely take my time with it over what looks like will be two or more months, but I will say I actually do like it overall. That is, taken as a whole game this is a good game. A solid B effort I would say. But if I break down individual areas like combat, story, rpg mechanics, crafting, etc etc I would surprisingly give the game a fairly poor rating. The one thing I keep sensing when I play is that, after the "feedback" to DA2, the devs put SO MUCH effort into creating SO MANY fantastic areas to explore that that they sort of forgot to spend as much time on the other aspects of the game. And many of them are bare bones basic to nearly non-existent at times as a result. The story too seems to have been written to actually fill up the magnificent space created more than to actually tell a vibrant and engaging story. But again, the game does mostly work for me, so I'm fine with the game itself so far, but there is also a very real feeling of missed opportunity here for me mostly. It touches greatness at times, but tends to fall flat a bit too much when it gets close to that sustained greatness in my mind. If we do get to continue, and I'm really not sure we will yet, I think major changes are needed for the next game so the potential here, which is enormous, can actually be at least approached. The Grey Unknown (talk) 22:50, December 6, 2014 (UTC)

I didn't enjoy the experience, overall, as much as you seem to have, but your point about the disparity between INQ and things-that-make-up-INQ (as well as the point about the game being somewhat of an overcompensation), I think, is exactly what BioWare's takeaway from this game should be. The locations are gorgeous, the lore-driven story is great, the characters are fun...but what's missing from INQ that DA:O had was focus. Everything in Origins had a purpose, had a story, had something to contribute to our time in the game world. INQ doesn't, which is what, I think, is what has frustrated some people (myself included). (Well, that and how the game's main plot is like two unrelated main plots sewn together. But that's another thing altogether.) HELO (talk) 15:36, December 11, 2014 (UTC)

I actually wrote a review for Dragon Age: Inquisition on amazon after I finished playing through it and I gave the game a 3 out of 5 stars. I wanted to give DA: I more, and most of my problems with it were minor. Bugs and lots of them, not so great gameplay on PC, while the core story is good it’s too short, and the ending sucks, not as much as Mass Effect 3, but overall disappointing. And after I finished my first play through I felt no rush to start up another inquisitor, much like I did with DA: O and DA: 2. Despite these setbacks it’s still a good game and I enjoyed the 80 hours I spent running around Orlias and Ferelden, so check the game out in 3 or so months. Hopefully most of the bugs will be fixed and cross your fingers gameplay on PC will be better if you’re using a computer. Will I be buying another Bioware game on release probably not, next time I’ll be waiting for fan reviews. --Mearn-Tahl (talk) 12:16, December 7, 2014 (UTC)

I was one of those people that really wanted this game to be a home run. But I have to say that after spending over 80 hours of my time playing this game, I am disappointed. There are a few reasons for this, a lot of them the OP discussed. The areas, while large and beautiful, don't really contain that many meaningful side quests. They are mostly collection side quests for shards, or something else, which are really really boring. A good side quest should have its own little story to it, and a great side quest will be able to connect to the main story. Overall, there were only a few that fit this criteria, and almost none in any really meaningful way.

Closing the fade rifts gets really menial later on in the game as there are so many of them, and they don't really take much time to beat. They feel like chores, having to spend ten minutes crossing a large area to go from one fade rift to another. I think it would've made the game better, if instead of their being (I think) 75 rifts. There should have been 10 or so. And have closing each one have their own little story to it. Like the rift above the lake, which was the most interesting fade rift close outside of the breach.

The Mounts are pretty useless to, as besides aesthetics, there are really no difference between one mount and another. As in the rift comment, there should have been less, and just made each one really different. Like make the dracolisk really rare, and have them be really fast. Or the war nug, while slower than a regular horse, able to take hits better than any other mount. Instead there are really no differences that I've noticed.

The one big complaint I have for the DAI world, is why is there no city to traverse. I know what your thinking. There was Val Royeaux. But no, there really wasn't. That place was comprised of a very small area, with a top and bottom floor. Nothing really to it other than a few shops. If this was done right, we should have been able to explore the entire city. Why is it in DAO, which is considerably smaller than DAI, has better cities than DAI, Orzammar and Denerim. It's actually kind of embarrassing. DLA12345

Best Dragon Age so far. This game is perfect. But here is what the internet has been like for the last 5+ years: "Oh no I don't like DA2 because its too linear. Oh No I don't like DA:I because its too open world." Meanwhile I'm like..........GAME ON --Elshiro (talk) 03:38, December 11, 2014 (UTC)

"This game is perfect" and "Best Dragon Age so far" That's two of the funniest jokes I've heard all year. --144.136.77.84 (talk) 13:47, December 11, 2014 (UTC)

The biggest Joke so far is the same ppl that complained about DA2 being linear are complaining about DAI being too open. THAT'S the biggest joke I've heard all year. Haters gonna hate. - Faye Cousland

Actually, linearity and open world are not opposites. Even an open world can be linier in questing. That said, DA:I is not too "open world". The openness is fine. Some quests might be somewhat linier, but it's tolerable. I think the gripe with DA2 was that the maps were basically "Point A to Point B". There was no real variation, like what we had in the Kokari Wilds in DA:O for example where there were multiple paths to take and other quests to do. With DA:I, the quests might be linier, but we can also complete multiple quests at once, so that kind of makes up for it. Believe it! (talk) 18:17, December 11, 2014 (UTC)

I don't have the time to offer as in depth an analysis as the OP and some other posters, but I believe DAI is a huge step in the right direction. I loved the direction, the story concept, and the breadth. I enjoy the fighting a lot and I liked that there are entire sections of the game that don't require my involvement. Indeed, I disagree with many of the OP's opinions (even if I understand where they're coming from) because I think they're factually inaccurate.

For example, the idea that the huge spaces all look the same is not true. Sure, they're the same sort of location from a flora, fauna, and geological perspective... and even that's not entirely true... I mean, the Storm Coast has a wide range of variability. And that only makes sense given that you're in a given locale.

As for the lack of things to do, almost every location has at least one mini, story-driven quests. The Western Approach has the various mines, darkspawn tracking, the dragon hunt, and so forth. The Hinterlands has dwarven ruins. There are at least a dozen dungeons/ruins scattered across the game that are not required, but do add lore and fun if one bothers with them.

I love the crafting. Here, I don't think the OP is being incorrect, but I don't know that I accept the idea that the crafting is a chore. It takes time to get the highest level stuff (at least in my 1 1/3 play through) and have ended up with some nice stuff. It's less cumbersome than Skyrim (not that I disliked Skyrim's approach, because it was fun too) and, given the ubiquity of crafting items in every location that you just pick up as you move, it doesn't really take all that much time. And, you don't have to craft a thing if crafting a chore. I mean, there are plenty of decent items you can pick up as you move forward.

I recognize that folks have different opinions and values, and I don't expect anyone to agree with me. However, I think some of the criticisms that have been leveled are a bit off the mark. About the most significant criticisms I've had are that the story feels less weighty than I expected... Honestly, there's not as much connective tissue as I would have liked between Corypheus and your efforts across Southern Thedas. But, I still think it's a good story. That Hawke "beat" Corypheus before is irrelevant to me... He's one of the original blighters and, now that he's back, he's returned with a new approach and an actual plan. He's a real threat this time, whereas with Hawke he was just a dark genie in a bottle.

Wow, this was longer than I anticipated, but there you have it. I loved DAO and, despite its serious flaws, I loved DA2. And I really love DAI. Frankly, in many ways, I prefer it to both DA2 and DAO, although I wish the story was stronger. It has greater breadth, more variety, and a great less linearity (even compared to DAO). --The Serge7 (talk) 18:43, December 11, 2014 (UTC)

Adding more to the hate now that I have played 214 hours:

- Tedious grinding Sulevin or simmilar location for tier 3 is BORING, been doing that for 20 hours...
- Pointless economy, also meaningless
- In NWN2 you found mines, in DAI you find ores, yeah, makes sense... LOL You are the Inquisitor, find the location send miners to get material, makes WAY MORE SENSE
- Last mission is too low level, also most maps are, either you quit them early to go to end-game maps that scale up to level 23 or you will be level 20 killing level 11~16 enemies to complete all the quests before Hissing Waster / Emprise du Lion
- Boring Dragons, either go KE or exploit Tempest or both as I do with Vivi and Sera, Cass focus grants survivability coupled with Vivi fully upgraded barrier. I didn't want them to be difficult but I literally exploded one dragon without even realizing it... could never do that in Origins/Awakening/2, my biggest fear in this game became the lamest enemies ever
- RIDICULOUS loot, absolutely nothing that made me wow, I love the crafting system but seriously it makes loot pointless, it is very weird when you can craft items better than epic/unique ones with relatively ease
- In DAO being overpower felt overpower in DAI it feels boring. Pointless respawn and unepic boss fights makes sure it reaches top boring boringness of the borest boring things.
- I am playing DAI while watching my series and movies. Today I watched Matrix Reloaded and Revolution while playing this game, the kind of thing I do when I play grindy mmorpgs... get it?
- If they decided to go action they should have made jumping skills, also dodging like Neverwinter MMO would be great

There is so much hate... but for now that's it later I will hate more Raoniluna (talk) 22:42, December 11, 2014 (UTC)

I don't get it: you complain that it is too hard and you complain that it is too easy. Can't you make up your mind? Caspoi (talk) 23:12, December 11, 2014 (UTC)

Back there 100 years ago when I complained about being hard I stated like thousand times that by hard I meant having to take actions and this stands thus the boring thing. Hard as in not having auto-attack, having to approch the target manually, having to aim, etc I already explained it a thousand times, it is bothersome. I stand by what I said. Even farming Sulevin would be easier with Origins controls, it is all ridiculous. So there is no contradiction, the game is boringly easy yet have bothersome controls, which makes it a nightmare. Raoniluna (talk) 23:25, December 11, 2014 (UTC)