#da2 rivalry

[elsyrel]

Emo elf

#dragon age #dragon age 2 #dragon age II #fenris #da2 #I've played da2 two times #and both times I've romanced fenris #he's the only character I have rivalry with and he's the one I choose to romance lol #oh well I also have a rivalry with carver but he doesnt count cause I pretend he doesnt exist lolololol

[stop-breaking-my-heart-dragonage]

I said I wasn't going to get started on the topic of Aveline ruining Carver's chances with the guard but I lied okay, it's Carver Hawke defense hours.

Here's the thing; it doesn't matter if you believe Carver was or wasn't fit for the guard. That's a different debate that I'll get to. What matters is Aveline's in no position to tell the guard not to accept his application. Why does she think that's her right to judge whether or not he's fit?

Carver should've had the chance to prove himself one way or another. If it turns out he's not a good fit, then let him fail. Let him learn from it.

"Oh but failure could mean lost lives-"

Aveline doesn't get to talk shit about failure and the people. Plenty have died on her watch yet she still believes she's a good guard and Guard-Captain.

"maybe Aveline's protecting him, Carver could die while on patrol-"

Carver could die working in the Bone Pit, or serving as a templar, or when he's running around with Hawke. Carver could trip and fall down a set of stairs and die. In fact, he can die in the Deep Roads, somewhere he wouldn't have to go if the Hawke's weren't desperate.

Either Carver fails as a guard, or more likely, he succeeds and proves himself worthy of it.

But let's be real, Carver probably kept getting rejected due to being a Fereldan with a past of smuggling/mercenary work and Aveline only reaffirmed the decision, either because they asked her what she thought or she stuck her nose in unprompted.

But what irritates me is that she admits to telling them not to accept his application, and then has the balls to call Carver too proud to take up a trade or find another line of work.

Carver tells her, "And who would take on a Fereldan apprentice? Maybe in another year I could work my way up to pissboy." He has a good point here. Aside from the guard, the only other place Carver could work and use his skillset is with the Templars. Or go back to mercenary/smuggling work.

And Aveline doesn't even have a real answer for him. No suggestions, no encouragement, nothing. Just "Fine, let's crawl down some holes. Good bloody luck for your sake."

Also, if you do the Mark of the Assassin DLC in Act 1-

Aveline: You should see if any of the noblemen are looking for new men-at-arms. Carver: Are you trying to get rid of me? Aveline: It's a role with some autonomy. A good fit with your training and... tendencies. Carver: After serving King Cailan? You want me to suffer some poncy git who needs two servants to wipe his own ass? I'll find my own way, thanks. Aveline: I wish you would.

You wish he would?? Aveline, he was trying to find his way into the guard, a position he'd make a good fit for, and you helped deny him of it because YOU didn't think he would be good enough, I just-

If I haven't made it clear yet, I firmly believe that Carver would've made a great guard. He wants to help people, to be a protector. He's loyal, and despite what Aveline claims, he can follow orders and take his duty seriously. We see him do incredibly well with the Grey Wardens, after all. If he were a guard, he wouldn't have to go down into the Deep Roads with Hawke, and I think he would've been okay with that! He's so hurt and bitter when you leave him behind because that effectively tells him, "I don't need you." Carver's spent the whole first act telling you he wants to go on the expedition aka that he wants to be needed.

But if he were a guard, he would be needed elsewhere. He'd be in training as a recruit. He'd look after Leandra while you go. He wouldn't be backed into a corner with no income and only the templars left as his chance at forging his own path and providing for his family.

He doesn't get that opportunity, though.

By the way, if he becomes a warden, you can get this banter:

Aveline: I'm glad you found a place with the Wardens. Carver: Well, it's not the city guard, but it'll do. Aveline: Carver... it wasn't the place for you. Carver: No, it's all right. It is. It cost a lot, but I get it. I really was a bit of a tit those days, wasn't I? Aveline: Well...

This banter makes me want to scream.

Aveline's just... she's so insistent that she's right. She's someone who will double down rather than entertain the idea that she's wrong and it's not just with Carver and the guard, it's with everything. The "my beef with Aveline" list gets longer and longer every time I replay da2, I swear.

Say what you will about Carver, whether you think he would've been a good fit or if Aveline's right and it wasn't for him, he was denied a chance and it cost him so much in the end. He either dies, or he joins the templars where he deals with Chantry's bullshit trying to brainwash him with "mages aren't people" and "magic is a cancer in this world", or he's infected with the blight and becomes a Grey Warden, forced to serve the rest of his life fighting darkspawn, tormented by voices and nightmares.

I will never not be bitter about this.

#dragon age 2 #da2 #dragon age #carver hawke #aveline vallen #aveline critical #oh and also forever bitter that hawke doesn't have the option to talk to aveline about this #because listen my hawke would be on this #carver would be annoyed and all 'i don't need your help >:[' but that's not gonna stop ed from turning on Big Brother Mode #this is just one of many reasons i can't do the friendship path with aveline #i hate the thought of doing rivalries for all my other companions but i feel like aveline's rivalry route is the only chance to shake her #of her unwarranted over confidence and make her realize that she's not this lawful good 'i stand for all of us' guard captain #she still stands with me in the end but at that point i wouldn't be surprised if she was just doing to because she still feels she owes ed #for getting her outta fereldan and into kirkwall rather than because we're loyal best friends y'know? #she's certainly not doing it for the mage rights #but anyway i never miss an opportunity to defend carver #that's my baby brother and i love him

[valtianan]

brothers

#dragon age #dragon age 2 #da2 #dragon age hawke #champion of kirkwall #sterling hawke #carver hawke #they go from rivalry to friendship #but do not ask about the things i had to do to get there #illustration #my art

[maid-of-the-golden-deer]

the fact that isabela and zevran serve the same character function in a few key ways but diverge wildly, all the while zevran being a large part in isabelas backstory- it all makes me go feral

sex for zevran is a tool. or rather, he was a tool, and sex was one of the things he was used to do (as a precursor to murder lmao). but its not just romance/sex he sees himself as unworthy of- its any non transactional relationship. when you finally show him not everyone is looking to bargain with him as a chip, when you CARE about him, he jumps at the chance. hes your ride or die before you can blink. he has the freedom to devote himself to a friendship/partner and he's going to take it.

for isabela, sex IS that freedom. zevran literally and figuratively killed her old life, and now she owns her body, and is going to have all the fun she damn well pleases with it. relationships arent something she was necessarily denied, but she never really saw any good examples of them. why should she burden herself with that? shes down to be your friend from day one, but what she realizes is maybe... her freedom isnt all down the toilet if shes loyal to you. maybe she can have freedom and loyalty and enjoy both.

tldr: sex and jokes are what zevran uses to cope with his lack of freedom, and sex and jokes are how isabela maintains hers

#for isabela i am obviously talking friendship path the day i do a da2 rivalry is also the day i die #this could have been mkre coherent but u get me right #zevran arainai #isabela #dragon age #dragon age 2 #dao #da2 #isabela dragon age

[bluerose5]

#baldurs gate 3 #bg3 #dragon age #da2 #gale dekarios #gale of waterdeep #anders #polls #boops #i know there are other possible candidates for magic men who love cats #but these are two of my main fandoms #and i love the idea of them having a friendly rivalry #so entertain me

[redlyriumidol]

hawke: here fenris i got you this present.

fenris:

#fenris #what up im fenris and i never fucking learned how to read #dragon age #fenris (rivalry) 19 #da2

[dungeons-and-dragon-age]

yeah you fucking tell him!!

#get his ass merrill #he is genuine when he says he means well! #she talked about how this mirror already killed someone and it immediately set off alarm bells #and yknow maybe if her whole clan is scared of this mirror then maybe it really is that dangerous #and he is *not* risking losing another friend to some foolish stubborn errand #which does not change that he is butting in where its none of his business (re: the eluvian) and treating merrill like a child #which ironically is also (almst) costing him a friend #laya plays dragon age #da2 #oc: liam hawke #he ends up max rivalling her since rivalry gets so high just from refusing her the arulin'holm #but this whole ordeal is at least somewhat of a wake up call #still takes him a while to get his shit together and really realise how unfair hes been to her but i do imagine they end up close again #(/build their friendship up stronger since they are on the same page now)

[kirkwallguy]

honestly inquisition would've benefitted so much from a good friendship/rivalry system like da2 had. this playthrough im using the fair weathered friends challenge (grants double disapproval) and it feels SO much more alive. solas fucking hates me and rants at me for siding with the templars even though i haven't been openly rude to him! varric dislikes me for not keeping the status quo! dorian chews me out immediately after joining because i didn't go with the mages initially! and it's a shame to know that these interesting dynamics are the lowest i can go with all of these characters

#solas' rant against mary and actually giving his option on the templars was SO good. then i got the option to hit him #and realised this was supposed to be the utmost lowest point of their relationship #playing with this challenge on partially for the steam achievement and partially bc it's more fun narratively #but ughhhh da2's rivalry system added so much depth #i rivalled fenris for the first time in my recent playthrough and it gave me such a different perspective on his character #but in inq it barely even registers that hawke rivalled varric despite it completely changing their relationship dynamics...

[sadmages]

#gabby plays da2 #gabby rambles #i like warden carver cause its more hopeful and he seems happier and he and hawke can kinda reconcile #i like templar carver cause oh the drama......the sibling rivalry.....the feeling of betrayal.... #this is my 3rd go so ive already done them both and idk what to do now

[sapphim]

Sibling Rivalry - DA2

I'm probably not the only person to wonder the degree to which Bethany and Carver's approval score affects their disposition toward Hawke in the game. So I got it into my head to search the game files to see every instance in which the game checks their approval score and... it's not much!

A couple things.

There's always a small chance that there's some other line of dialogue in the game that's been coded in some fuckstupid nonstandard way that my search didn't catch, but this should be everything.

Unlike the game's full companions, which have major milestones at 50 and 100 approval points and can sometimes behave accordingly, Bethany and Carver are always at a flat check to determine if their approval is either above or below zero. There's no further benefit to changing their approval more than +-1 point from neutral.

Approval scores for Bethany and Carver really only ever come into play in Acts 2 and 3. There are basically no approval checks in Act 1, and none in the base game.

There's not a lot of approval-related dialogue in the base game, and it's all for warden siblings -- in the Act 2 climax and in the optional Act 3 sidequest Finding Nathaniel. Templar Carver and circle mage Bethany do not have any approval-specific dialogue in the base game... and the majority of approval-specific dialogue in the DLC still goes to their warden counterparts.

I'll be posting additional posts with the dialogue from MotA and Legacy in separate posts, to keep the length manageable, which will be found under the #sibling rivalry tag. Here's the base game dialogue:

Act 2 - Demands of the Qun (Warden Bethany)

Blue Hawke: [Are you all right?] Are you injured? Are there more of you?

[friendly]

Bethany: This is everyone. Thank you.

[rival]

Bethany: We're fine. Everyone's here.

---

Purple Hawke: [I live here.] Last time I checked, you'd moved on from Kirkwall.

[friendly]

Bethany: I'm a Warden now. We go where we're needed.

[rival]

Bethany: We're here on Grey Warden business.

---

Red Hawke: [You're welcome.] A "thank you" might be in order, don't you think?

[friendly]

Bethany: I must say, it's less painful than the last time you saved my life.

[rival]

Bethany: I knew you didn't go to so much trouble to save me, just to throw it away now.

---

Hawke: [You're leaving, Bethany?] But you just got here.

[friendly]

Bethany: You gave me this life… I'm just doing the best I can to live it.

[rival]

Bethany: I've been here for six days.

---

Hawke: [Bethany, Mother's gone.] Wait—I need to tell you about Mother.

[friendly]

Bethany: I know. When we got the news, the Wardens helped me hold a wake. I'm… glad you were with her. In her final moments.

[rival]

Bethany: I know what happened. I waited and waited for you to tell me yourself. Did you hold a funeral, or was there not enough left?

Act 2 - Demands of the Qun (Warden Carver)

Blue Hawke: [Are you all right?] Are you injured? Are there more of you?

[friendly]

Carver: I'm good, but we're not the help you need.

[rival]

Carver: I'm fine. We're fine. And no, this is all of us.

---

Purple Hawke: [I live here.] Last time I checked, you'd moved on from Kirkwall.

[friendly]

Carver: Things change. But… I can't stay.

[rival]

Carver: We're here on Grey Warden business.

---

Red Hawke: [You're welcome.] A "thank you" might be in order, don't you think?

[friendly]

Carver: Sorry. A bit distracted by all the friends you've made since I left.

[rival]

Carver: Pardon my manners. You save me so often I sometimes forget.

---

Hawke: [You're leaving, Carver?] But you just got here.

[friendly]

Carver: Another time, perhaps.

[rival]

Carver: I've been here for six days.

---

Hawke: [Carver, Mother's gone.] Wait—I need to tell you about Mother.

[any]

Carver: I already know what happened. I'm sure you did your best.

Act 3 - Finding Nathaniel (Warden Bethany)

Hawke: Bethany? Is that really you?

[friendly]

Bethany: Why would you come back here if you didn't have to?

[rival]

Bethany: Are you here to "save" me again?

---

Blue Hawke: [Are you all right?] You don't look well, Bethany. Are you injured?

Bethany: Injured? I have the darkspawn taint forever in my veins, barely held in check by the Wardens' rituals.

[friendly]

Bethany : I'm sorry. You did the best you could.

Hawke: I wish there'd been a better way.

[rival]

Bethany: I will never be well again.

Hawke: Where there's life, there's hope.

---

Purple Hawke: [Cheer up, Sis.] A little smile for me, Sister? It's been years. I've missed you.

[friendly]

Bethany: If I let myself miss you… and Carver… and Mother… I couldn't go on.

Bethany: It's better not to feel.

Hawke: I, ah, won't try to cheer you up, then.

[rival]

Bethany: I have kept track of your doings. I'm glad you've done well for yourself, though perhaps too late for Mother.

Bethany: But I am a Warden now. We have no families.

Hawke: They say it's always darkest before the dawn.

---

Red Hawke: [Pull yourself together.] You're not dead yet. Shake it off! There's work to be done.

[friendly]

Bethany: You never change, do you?

Hawke: Enough, Bethany. We need your help here or we'll all die.

[rival]

Bethany: You sound just like Ser Fenley—before the Children devoured him.

Hawke: Enough, Bethany. We need your help here or we'll all die.

Act 3 - Finding Nathaniel (Warden Carver)

Hawke: Carver?

[friendly]

Carver: Well, just like old times.

Carver: Still coming to the rescue after all these years? I have it under control, but thanks.

[rival]

Carver: What are you doing here?

Carver: Just like always, no cause is too small for you to stick your nose in. I have this under control.

---

[friendly]

Blue Hawke: [I'm glad you're doing well.] It's good to see you. I hope the years have been kind.

Carver: I can't say that. The Blight is long over, but the threat never really goes away.

Carver: I don't know if you can understand that. Maybe someday.

[rival]

Blue Hawke: [I'm glad you're doing well.] It's been years, Carver. We can't be civil?

Carver: I almost died in your shadow. I don't appreciate you showing up to take my thunder.

Hawke: If my shadow made it down here, you brought it.

---

[friendly]

Purple Hawke: [Why are you down here?] Don't you have Archdemons to hunt or something?

Carver: There's a considerable gap between Blights, you know. Apparently, just long enough for people to forget.

Carver: We Wardens don't have that luxury, though.

[rival]

Purple Hawke: [A little thanks, maybe?] You know, the average person saves a life, they might expect some gratitude.

Carver: I've seen too much of the world to be impressed by this.

Carver: It's just kind of sad.

Hawke: What is?

Carver: That your world has stayed so small.

---

[friendly]

Red Hawke: [Still hold a grudge?] So, do you still blame all of this on me?

Carver: Do you still expect me to? I'd like to think we've both changed.

Carver: I guess we'll have to wait and see, won't we?

[rival]

Red Hawke: [Still angry, Carver?] Nothing's changed between us after all these years?

Carver: I've seen a lot, Brother. Our little squabble, it doesn't matter.

Hawke: Your tone says otherwise, Warden.

#da2 #dragon age 2 #bethany hawke #carver hawke #sibling rivalry #canonical texts

[justashamwithwastedpotential]

Personally, I think Stardew's heart system should work like Dragon Age 2's approval system where villagers get black hearts when you enter into negative friendship points and you get different heart events depending on how much they hate you.

#changing the mechanic of the heart events seems beyond my capabilites l #but someone should do it bc it'd be cool I think #idk I just want reasons to give people hate items sometimes #also maybe I just like DA2's rivalry system #and you can STILL romance them! #exciting #just thinking #this came from a fever dream where I already thought this was a game mechanics

[juniemoe]

love how some of the flirty lines change according to hawke's personality <3

#though some of the red hawke lines in the rivalry romance paths suck #i'm not a huge fan of the rivalmances in the first place though #but anyway #my wishlist for dragon age dreadwolf: a personality system again #it's one of my fave things in da2 #i know they're not going to do it #slightly afraid they're going to go for mass effect 3 path where the dialogue choices are massively reduced tbh #i wouldn't put it past them #💬 chatter

[stop-breaking-my-heart-dragonage]

You ever think about how in spite of knowing their exact locations, the game never gives any indication that templar Carver has reported his mage sibling, Merril (a blood mage) or Anders (an abomination) to his superiors?

I do think about that a lot, even though I tend to ignore the Templar Carver route because I know Warden Carver to be true in my heart and soul... but I totally get the appeal of Templar Carver within DA2's narrative, y'know?

It's so fascinating, really. I've never played a run with Templar Carver, I just can't bring myself to do it, so I know I'm missing out on smaller details of it. From what I do know, this drives me crazy in the best way possible.

Deciding whether to bring him or not to the Deep Roads is such an important choice, not only because it affects his fate, but how it affects his relationship to Hawke. He tells you that he wants to go, he makes it very clear that it's important to him that he goes, too... and Hawke can just leave him behind and it hurts him. I don't think that registers enough with some people just because of how Carver is, like it doesn't matter what Hawke's motivations are [staying behind for his safety, not wanting to bring him, thinking someone should stay with Leandra, etc] it still hurts him because it tells him that Hawke doesn't need him, and Carver wants to be needed.

And yes, there are other contributing factors to why he joins the templars, but it doesn't matter what your relationship is to him, it doesn't change the fact that he doesn't turn Hawke or his companions in.

Sure, the meta reason is it's a video game and you're playing the main character. You're never in any actual danger of being captured by templars, and you're not going to lose your companions to them that easy.

But if we look at it through the narrative and Carver's character, that's when it gets interesting. You can max out his rivalry and be an utter asshole to him [there's a point where you can call him a brat and mock him for being stuck in your shadow, like Hawke can be real cruel about it] but it doesn't matter, you're still his sibling. He even makes a remark about how you might not know what that means [referring to leaving him behind] but he does. He refuses to kill Hawke in the end when Meredith makes the order, too.

Which can I just point out that Hawke has the option to let Bethany die in the end if she's with the circle and they side with the templars? Just saying, Carver NEVER does that no matter what, but Hawke has the option to betray Bethany like that and it's fucked and interesting and it makes me want to eat my chair-

As for Merrill and Anders, I think he knows that if he turns either of them in, then the chances of Hawke being brought in as well skyrocket. They're all friends, they're in the same group... bring one in, and you'll probably get the other two.

I also think Carver just genuinely likes Merrill. Yes, I'm a Carver/Merrill shipper, so I have a bias, but even if you remove anything romantic from their dynamic I believe that's true. Of all the companions, Merrill is the only one who doesn't make fun of him, or find him annoying, in party banters. He never snaps back at her, like he's never defensive with her, he's just a little awkward and nice.

Like, HE'S SO NICE TO HER! He tries to find common ground with her! She asks him about "swording" and he's taken aback by her saying he's good at it, but you KNOW that if someone like Anders asked him the same question, he's be all, "shut up, you're stupid, stop talking to me >:["

Think back to that banter Carver can have with Aveline post-act 1 where they're talking about how the guard wasn't the right place for him [hard disagree with you there, Aveline] and Carver says he was a bit of a tit, wasn't he.... and every companion will agree except Merrill. She doesn't say anything, whereas other companions like Anders will be like "ugh maker YES" and if you have a purple Hawke, they'll go on to other ways Carver was a tit like?? I think Carver and Merrill got along and he doesn't want to turn her in because she was nice to him! And she's a blood mage! He knows what will happen to her if the templars get ahold of her! He doesn't want to see her made tranquil or killed!

At that point, he's witnessed what bad blood mages can do, assuming you've brought him along for those quests, but even so. He knows Merrill isn't like that and he likes her, so of course he's not going to turn her in despite that being his literal duty.

Then there's Anders who Carver doesn't like. If you're in a romance with him, Carver will tell him that's why he doesn't turn him in but c'mon Carver, you know that's not the only reason. My theory is Carver may not like Anders and he knows the man's got a spirit of justice inside of him... but Anders also runs a free clinic. If he's ever taken in by templars, then so many people [including a LOT of Fereldan refugees] will be without free health care and will suffer for it. I think in Carver's eyes, Anders might be irritating but he doesn't more good than harm. Carver knows first hand how shitty refugees and poorer people are treated in Kirkwall. Anders' clinic is the one place they can go for help and actually get it, and he's not going to be the one to take that away because the templars say "magic bad."

So yeah, I'm not as informed about the Templar Carver route, but I do think about how if I did do that route, he wouldn't betray Hawke or their companions no matter what and what that says about him.

#asks #dragon age 2 #da2 #carver hawke #da2 merrill #da2 anders #listen i love carver hawke okay he and bethany are my favorite companions in da2 #i could talk endlessly about the twins and their roles in story and how unfair it is that only one of them can make it to kirkwall #meaning we hardly get to see them interact with each other before one dies and UGH #like i get it their stories rely heavily on them being the only mage or non-mage in the sibling trio so both of them living #would've meant writing two different origins stories for them with different attitudes affected by having another siblings that like them #but also i think if hawke's a rogue then leandra should've died and we could've worked it out okay #ANYWAY... templar carver amirite? i know i should go that route just to say i have and to see it for myself but hhhnnnggggg... #it physically pains me to think of not bringing him to the deep roads though it's so important to him and my hawke works so hard #to repair his relationship with his brother okay i max out carver's friendship every time and it's so worth it #you don't understand okay friendship carver is the best he's so goddamn sweet i can't handle it #it's actually so interesting how bethany and carver start out versus how they end because bethany starts out as the super sweet one #whereas carver's surly and bitter... but past act 1? it's like they flip?? at least on the warden paths like bethany is BRUTAL #she's so fucking bitter and rude and I love it?? like her relationship with hawke is in the trenches whereas carver's is vastly improved #again no matter your approval with him when you reunite in act 2 he will ALWAYS tell hawke that 'i'm sure you did your best' #referring to leandra's death but bethany's response will change depending on your approval with her #and if i remember right the rivalry response is OOF #carver and bethany turn me into a little giggling gremlin i love them so much

[iijadraws]

This is so quickly drawn but hey, look, wip DA fanfics! In a way. Sofie and Fenris trying to talk things through near the end of the second act.

(Click the image for good enough quality to read my handwriting)

#dragon age #da2 #oc sofie #hawke #fenris #very mmuch wip. probably will never finish xdd anyway #in short: had sofie romanced anyone in the game it would've been fenris #but he blew his chances with the worst timing ever so following through with the romance would've felt wildly out of character for sofie #and in game i have some rivalry with him but I'd like to think that despite their differences they remain friends #and really manage to talk it all through #but i also headcanon that Sofie would ask Varric to write Fenris out of the picture to protect him (and to add drama to the book) #(and to not have to deal with people wondering what their relationship is like so they can just chill) #so the rivalry in game kinda makes sense canonically then if that's the story Varric tells :D #sdfhdghdf i have written so much about these two #especially different versions of this conversation like 3637595 times bc i can't get it right xdd #but yea this convo happens some time after the hadriana incident & the romance initiation where sofie said BAD TIMING DUDE and Fen left #all in all Sofie is just too aroace for any romance xddddd has always been!! i mean i didn't DECIDE that #she just always dodged every romance in every game no matter how much i tried and simply bestfriended Varric xdddd so yeah

[glamfellens]

okay im about to do the long road and i really need to make sure i dont get donnic and aveline together JHDJHDF

#abbey plays da2 #this is the fuck aveline playthrough #ive nearly maxed rivalry already lmfaoooo

[eastgaysian]

maybe i'm just always playing too conciliatory but even when i have all companions around at all times so i can't avoid potential disapproval everyone's approval is, like, 60 minimum by halfway through act 2. like has anyone actually organically gotten a companion to leave their party because of low approval and not a story event. kind of wish it was harder to balance being friends with everybody

#balls your gay 3 #a 0-100 numerical scale is inherently like. not going to be able to capture the nuances of a relationship with someone ofc #and it's particularly interesting to me the instances when you can avoid approval changes when it feels like you really shouldn't #mostly from a like game design perspective. characterization wise approval honestly means very little #i did like the friendship/rivalry system in da2 it's a little more complex though i think people saying 'bring back rivalmances' are insane #like the execution of them is pretty bad esp bc the little bit of added complexity is not enough to account for like #hawke being a total asshole with fundamentally incompatible morals compared to their companion. you can be so awful to merrill and isabela. #Now i'm making myself want to play dragon age again don't fucking do it.