On Continuity and Awakenings...

So, remember the other day when I said I had passed the main story of Dragon Age: Origins? And was working my way through the DLC extensions of the story?

I need to have stern words with the creators of Dragon Age: Origins. Very. Stern. Words.

SPOILERS AHOY!


Apparently, if you do make Anora the queen of Ferelden instead of making Alistair king, you never see him again. Ever. Period. The end.

Now, I'm not sure why they did this but it seems pretty final. While speaking to Seneschal Verel, he makes a point of noting that "There is only one Grey Warden assigned to Ferelden at the present time." I would love to know how everyone suddenly forgot that Alistair was a Grey Warden before he was named King just to keep Maric's blood line on the throne. Would anyone care to explain it to me? Even if you don't name Alistair the Kind of Ferelden, Verel still says that there is only one Grey Warden in  all of Ferelden. Did everyone suddenly forget Alistair existed? Did he decide to vanish into the shadows of obscurity instead of following you to The Keep to help train more Grey Wardens?

I sincerely doubt the vanishing act, Alistair isn't one to just slink off into the shadows. The man could barely keep his mouth shut while traveling with him and always had an opinion on something, I really don't see him as the solitary hermit type figure. Which leaves only one other conclusion, if you don't make Alistair king, he bloody dies somewhere in between Origins and Awakening. Thanks a lot, Bioware. It's not enough that you won't let me keep Alistair as my character's lover if I do make him king without hardening him earlier on in the game, but you flat out erase his character from all the histories of Ferelden if I don't make him king? Thanks.

I had asked one of my friends who had already played Dragon Age II to see if Alistair shows up there if you don't make him king, he doesn't. So, if you enjoyed Alistair's commentary on nearly all of your actions throughout the game and his fine ass, make him king or you'll never see him again.

I went back to the save I had in Dragon Age: Origins right before The Landsmeet and made Alistair king instead of Anora. I destroyed the Archdemon even more fiercely this time around and decided to have them find someone better to represent the Elves of the Alienage in The Landsmeet instead of Shianni since she apparently just causes a bit of trouble.

I went back to do The Golems of Amgarrak and the Witch Hunt DLC just in case not doing them all over again would change anything for Awakening and Dragon Age II, if I even bother to get it at this point. It all hangs in how Awakening plays out for me.

So far, it's not too horrible. I have Oghren back in my party and the way you find him is hilarious. I'm not going to say how it happens in case you haven't played the game (though, judging by how far you've gotten in this entry I'm fairly certain you have, if you haven't, what on earth are you doing reading this?) but, it is extremely amusing.

Anders is also on his way to becoming my new favorite character. I do love our first encounter, he flambes a darkspawn to oblivion, shakes his hands as if he had just burned them while grabbing a cookie tray fresh out of the oven, turns around and looks behind him at the dead Templars at his feet and says "I didn't do it." Love at first sight right there, ladies and gents. I've got little love for Templars as it is so I really didn't care if he did kill them or not, stupid of them to leave him with his staff anyway.

I went ahead and kept Nathaniel Howe with me, another Rogue in the party is always a good thing. Definitely going to keep the bastard in line, though he looks like he's more Loghain's bastard child and not Howe's son. HMMMM.

Already met with the nobles I'm in charge of, decided to try and keep the trade routes, the farmlands and the city as protected as possible, though I'm sure that's probably going to bite me in the ass later on.

Not much else to say about Awakening, just that whether or not I purchase Dragon Age II definitely hangs on how good Awakening is.

Cheers.