i’m sure this has been talked about to death and back but the choice between mages and templars is so imbalanced in dai that it feels like such a slap in the face to even make it a choice.
like dai was the first dragon age game i ever played and got me into the series hardcore but even with only the context this game gives you, it’s clear that the mages are an oppressed class and the templars are their oppressor. if you’ve played either of their prequels, then i genuinely cannot imagine the mages not being the obvious choice. while the choice between meredith and the mages in da2 was similar, at least the mages in da2 were up to nefarious things and the grand enchanter of that circle is the big bad no matter what you choose, plus there’s just so many different ways you can play hawke as a character that it might make sense for him to choose siding with the templars over the circle. if you have like, even an ounce of empathy, and are generally playing a good character, which the game forces you into since this is a save the world and be a hero type game, it’s such a non-starter of a choice.
and the way the game presents the choice??? “we need to ask the mages of help” “well now hold on we could consider the templars” “ok but we explicitly need magic for this to work” is how the choice is PRESENTED. the next we see is val royeaux, where the choice is further elaborated by …. the templars telling you to fuck off and the mages asking you for an alliance. like WHO IS CHOOSING THE TEMPLARS AFTER THAT?? the ONLY person who thinks the templars is a viable option is cullen, and the templars DONT want to work with us. ignoring the side with the oppressed class vs their oppressor narrative, i seriously can’t imagine wanting to choose the templars other than just to experience the choice just once. it takes a special kinda role play to ignore all the signs and signals the game gives you to make that choice.
i like the the dragon age games try to include diverging pathways like this in all their games, but this is by far the worst miss in the entire series (and for all yall critics of veilguard out there …. that game too). in general i love dai and it holds a special place in my heart as my first da game (hence me replaying it for the millionth time) but man is this choice so prominent in the early game only for it to be soooo. ugh.
