Okay it's crazy how many views this video has been getting! Thanks everyone for watching, commenting, liking and subscribing! I really appreciate it 💙💜
@@Fenrispro I didn't find anything specific for DA2, but apparently his design would've been updated in the canceled Exalted March DLC and there was going to be a novel about Fenris at some point. Ghil Dirthalen actually made a Fenris video recently where she talks about it. :)
I really wish they could have done that mage Hawke storyline, because you're right, the dangers of possible possession have never felt particularly real as a mage player character. I also wish they had not forced the Orsino boss fight. I am, however, glad they did not kill off Varric. He is by far my favorite character in the whole franchise.
Loved the EA/Bioware conversation in the beginning xD The idea of a side quest that involves your mage struggling with demon possession sounds super interesting and I hope they implement that or something like it in the next game!
Knowing about the planned-DLC, Hawke's line in Inquisition when you meet them about "But then the Exalted March never came" is like...... funny, in a way, but also Damnit David (and EA more specifically), lol
Developing DA2 at the same time as Awakening also resulted in a huge continuity error regarding Anders. Act 1 begins just after the end of the Blight, Varric specifically stating that there's only a very narrow window of opportunity to safely venture into the Deep Roads after a Blight, and when we meet Anders he's already well established in Kirkwall. However, Awakening canonically begins 6 months AFTER the end of the Blight so Anders was still in Ferelden, and not yet a Grey Warden, at the time of of the Deep Roads expedition. The only lore-friendly way to get around this is to assume that Varric is lying to Cassandra for reasons of his own.
Always love seeing cut content and canceled plans on story heavy games such as these. The consequences of being a mage would've been really cool to see, but I feel like it'd require class-specific quest lines for rogue and warrior as well to balance it out, so I understand why they cut it. Glad that the Exalted March was cut tho. As much as I would've loved to see more DA2, losing Varric would've been too great a cost.
Yeah I'm still kind of hoping they do something with that concept in the next game, somehow. Though I understand it might be difficult for gameplay reasons, unless they handle it like they were (seemingly) going to in DA2, purely narrative. But you're definitely right! They would have had to give the rogue and warrior something extra as well. And yeahh man Varric is too precious ):
I like to reconcile the problems with DA2 storyline by acknowledging that it's all told by Varric. E.G. Orsino was still a bossfight because he was sponsoring the blood magic research that the mage who killed your mother was doing. Varric needed a better way to say "Hawke killed a mage in a fit or rage". Also, I like to think Anders lied about why he left the Wardens like that because he was trying to cover up Justice.
I'm going to say that Anders was lying about the cat. My Warden in my playthrough would have been his commander, and would never have made him do that... Yeah, he was lying his ass off.
My Warden wouldn't have either, but I feel like this happened after the Warden left to do whatever they're doing in DAI. Then again, it probably wouldn't be the first time Anders has lied about things 😆
In my opinion, the lack of player/companion related demonstration when it comes to the dangers of magic is the main reason why the mage-templar conflict is so one sided with the community. It’s easy to pick the side of oppressed mages when the reason of their treatment has seemingly no justification. Merrill should’ve been in far more danger than what is given to us in her storyline. I would even go so far as to say that encouraging her to use blood magic and “cautiously” deal with the demon to restore the eluvian should’ve ended in her becoming possessed. Dragon Age 2 is full of examples why mages can be dangerous, but it still lacks consequences which makes siding with the templars feel wrong when you could argue that it’s the more immersive decision.
This is why in DAO I always side with the Templars, I don't kill all the mages because murder but I do agree with Cullen when talking to Griegor that the mages might be possessed, the fact Irving also agrees shows why it's a good choice. It makes the most sense in universe and isn't a "bad" ending
@@spacejesus6581 In Origins I can take more liberty with the whole Blight and Grey Warden situation going on. Mages are a valuable asset (from a pragmatic point of view) and since there are Templars left in the tower and I want Conner rescued I prefer to have them on my side rather than the Templars. In DA2 I personally feel like the Templar ending is more climactic and rewarding, but it unfortunately has this bad after taste of mass murder. It’s not that I’m necessarily pro circle. I just don’t like it when the whole topic gets overly simplified into “bad templars” and “good mages”
Agreed! This is the exact reason I have to *force* myself to side with the Templars in any of the games. I always do it, so I can see all the endings (because I'm OCD like that), but it just feels so unnatural, given how the game actually plays out. I mean, sure, lore-wise, siding with the Templar just *makes sense*, but emotionally, based on the games, it always feels so wrong.
I think DA:I made it pretty clear that the chantry/circles were the source of most of the mage possession issues, they litterally created a problem, on purpose, to keep common people docile.
The Orsino fight still annoys me, good to know the story behind it and (at least some of) the devs also not being happy about it. That also explains why they reused the Harvester model.
After such a long time of playing the DA games, only now do I find out that DA2 has so much cut content. It's a shame that we couldn't see all of it realized. Anyway, great video. Glad I got this recommended out of nowhere by UA-cam.
I think the decision to not do the exalted March dlc and go all in on inquisition helped in both story terms and development terms so good call in the long run given Inquisitions reception and scope.
I really wish they committed to an Elven reclamation/Uprising story instead of the Circle rebellion or both even... Imagine a world where the Mages are rebelling, the Elves are reclaiming, the Qun are invading and the Chantry are crusading. I'm looking forward to DA4 though. I'm also laughing at how accurate my sources were from way back about it.
Really good video! Lots of tidbits I didn’t know about. During Inquisition, the mage-templar war really felt like a rushed story, and now I know why. It seems like all the problems Bioware has were at least indirectly caused by the move to frostbite…I just hope Dreadwolf can break put of that chain painlessly. I’m very excited to see what the channel does in the future!
Thank you!! 😄 Yeah the move to Frostbite caused a lot of trouble, that engine was not made for RPGs at all. Though, they should hopefully have a much easier time working with it now.
I'm so glad I found your videos. It gives me hope one day that if they ever make a legendary edition (gotta love rumors) that some of this content will be restored
hmm, youtube suggesting me a smol, quality channel? kinda weird ngl binged all videos so far, take my cheeki sub and lets see you get to bigger number soon tbh, Hawk struggling with possession would be top tier roleplay. big sadge that it got cut.
I think the reason the Mage possession storyline was cut was not just time but because it sound really close to Merrill's companion story also its kind of sad how the Exalted Marches DLC sounds like it's just a better version of Inquisition would have rather had the dlc to be honest
Dragon Age: Exodus sonds so good. Shame it was never release in full version... i hope at some point (maybe if they make Legendary edition) they release a full version of that game BTW you are wrong on the point of mage party members being "plot armored" against possesion. If you bring Merril f.e. in the Night Terrors quest she will betray you in favor of what the demon is offering her
Yeah that would be great! Yes, you're right about companions getting tricked by the demons in that quest, but I specifically meant the danger of casting magic as a mage in general. It's supposed to be a risk every time a spell is cast but we don't really experience that (which is understandable, for gameplay reasons) But something similar to the Mage Hawke possession quest line would be great to have to really let the player feel how dangerous using magic can be
@@LisaLynnsTavern oh i didnt know that. I always assumed that it was the limited lyrium and or the power hunger some mages experience that pushes them into dealing with demons
so it wasn't Meridith or Orsino....EA was the true evil in this game.. DA:2 was the most enjoyable game i played of all the three...it's so sad that it could've been way better but EA just wanted to make fast money.. Great video! i didn't know about all this.
@@LisaLynnsTavern Also Inquistion reusing ideas from the canceled DLC for it's mainplot reminds me of what Saints Row 4 did for the original canceled Enter the Dominatrix DLC for Saints Row the 3rd
@@LisaLynnsTavern Well Saints Row 4 also made a commentary version of the DLC where the cast is all commenting on it and Zinyak remarks how anticlimactic his bossfight was in the original Enter the Dominatrix DLC
I'm very sorry that Dragon Age 2 is so short compared to dao e dai, the thing that makes me most angry is that Hawke is a beautiful protagonist, I don't know why but honestly, I imagined him several times as the protagonist of a series of video games like Gerald from the witcher; I only customized it once and then I always used the default one, whoever created Hawke cooked. It's not really worth hoping for a remasterd, but I constantly think about the wasted potential and makes me cry even more is the impossibility of having decent mods, seriously, there's almost nothing in it except cosmetics , I really wish someone would see the potential to remake this video game from top to bottom including Hawke's backstory.💔
So many small details were what made this game special, even the little ones that made it partly into the game. My head-cannon playthrough will always be mage Hawke with Carver and Merrill in the party long enough to get the flirting ambient dialogues, then them getting married as planned for in Exalted March. No contradictions with canon, AFAIK :)
One of the problems with DA2 that needed more player choice and the consequence of that. Ex Like being able to pick your own race. Also having to pick between your siblings in the first part of the game, either one you choose to save leaves to the grim death of the other.
When i played Da 2 the very first time i felt a bit let down since i played DaO for so long and it was so slim compared to the first part. Never the less i enjoyed many things in it (the characters, that you could have a Mansion etc). Great Video! I hope you´ll do more :)
I love these types of videos. So much what ifs and could've beens if any of this stuff when through. Especially since Mark Darrah came out with is DA2 video a bit ago. Really great stuff.
I still stand by the fact that the companion cast in DA2 is the best in the series, each one has a great individual story and the close nature of always being in Kirkwall means the party banter is unmatched. A couple mods and this game is great
Second comment: Hawke makes a cameo in DA:I. So sure, Verric might have exaggerated some plots but Hawke was Champion of Kirkwall. 2024: Dragon Age Vailguard. Perhaps they can remake or re-release of Origins & my beloved DA 2. That would be satisfy.
EA is the worst thing thats ever happen to BioWare they destroyed the company's reputation because of the new executive politics many BioWare lead game developers have left the company leaving Dragon Age 4 on ice and let's not talk about Anthem, that game was hot garbage even if you ran on a high end PC and Mass Effect Andromeda as well like what the hell were they thinking? 🙄🙄🙄🤔
Bioware: *Kills off characters in this gaming franchise in rather gruesome ways* ALSO Bioware: *wanted to kill off Captain Chesthair* Random Bioware employee: I'm sorry we don't do that here.
Thank you! 💜 And yes I do! 😄My canon worldstate is a Circle Mage Warden (Elf), mage Hawke and a Lavellan Inquisitor who's also a mage. (I love magic okay don't jugde haha) My Warden survived killing the Archdemon because she agreed to Morrigan's Dark Ritual, and my Hawke was not left in the Fade so she is alive and well. As for my Inquisitor, welllll she is alive but pretty pissed off at Solas for taking not only her arm, but also her heart 😂 What about you? 😄
@@LisaLynnsTavern I have two 😅 One is kinda sad- Human male noble who married Anora because Alistair wanted to stay with the wardens. He romanced Morrigan, but didn’t go with her trough the eluvian, because he thought, he had to watch over Ferelden. Hawke was male sarcastic rogue and was left in the fade. The Inquisitor was a female qunari mage, who at first was very shy and in the end very aggressive The seconde on is more happy and more of a what if story. Warden was male dwarf warrior, who also romanced Morrigan but left with her. My Hawke is Anora, who had to left Ferelden because she lost her throne(I know it doesnt make sense but it is a what if story😅) and she has a relationship with Varric, but they keept that a secret. The Inquisitor is a male qunari mage and is actually the Arishok, who was spared from Hawke and started a new life outside oft he Qun and realised that the Qun is wrong. He also was always a mage but he keept that a secret because of how the mages have to live under the Qun. He romanced Cassandra and wants to save Solas, because Hawke proved to him that the world is worth saving and he wants to prove that to Solas too 😅
@@kylosnow2146 Nice!! Which one will you be using for the next Dragon Age game first? I have a few other world states apart from my canon, it's fun to play around with choices. (:
@@LisaLynnsTavern i haven't decided yet but probably the second one.The first one is very special for me, but also very sad 😅, perhaps I change my mind later. But yeah it is so fun to play with all the choices the game gives you ^^
i dunno if this is cut-content but since my flag bugged and wont let me do finding nathaniel quest, i did debugged it instead and triggered it, but shockingly, i found a voiced Sigrun with Nathaniel
Wow, very interesting! I loved da2, and it's incredible to think that the game could have been even better. Short term profit gains ruin so much in our lives...
Like most games today, blame EA for the troubles the game devs went through on this one. I, personally, adore this game. It's my favorite of the three. The story was so great, and Hawke is my favorite of the PCs by far.
Personally, if that`s what they wanted to shove in, I`m glad they trimmed down the content. Most of those seem rather superfluous. Great video though. I really did learn a tad more about this fun trainwreck of a game :)
Oh, I love this!!! 😁 So many things I didn't know about! Honestly, before I played DA2, I was kinda wary about it and believed the critics a bit too much - but when I finally got into it, I fell in love instantly. It's incredible how much work the devs managed to put into it over such a short period of time & how awesome the final product is! That being said, a lot of these cut parts could have been very interesting to see in-game! The Exalted March DLC would have definitely served as a great 'missing piece' of the mage/templar conflict puzzle, on a grander scale. But... WE COULD HAVE HAD SHALE IN KIRKWALL??? 🤩🤩🤩 COME ON! Now I will never sleep soundly again 😅😁😁😁 Ah well, no gamer can have everything. And at least Varric is still alive, thank the Maker! Thank you for putting this together, now I gotta share it with my fellow DA-freaks! 😁😊😊
Omg thank you so much! Yeah I agree, despite everything BioWare managed to make a really good game! And as for Shale, I'd love to see her again, I'm kinda hoping we'll run into her in Tevinter, in the next game :D
If i hear this correct,the exalted march was 33% od inquisition. Would have made that game a lot different or shorter. What would it have been when cory was already known or even gone due to hawke. Oh,probably would and could make Solas take the limelight already making the Dreadwolf game not necessary. Glad it turned out this way but come on out with Dreadwolf already.
Thanks for this video. I was so mad when this game came out. I couldn't really get into inquisition either, because this game was so bad. It didn't feel the same
Thank you! Inquisition is very different from DA2, (Tbh, all three games are pretty different from each other) so I don't think it's that uncommon! I know many people really disliked the open-world style in Inquisition and the many fetch/collect quests (coughshardscough). And then there's also less character customisation, in terms of attribute points, skills etc. Inquisition's my favourite, but I can totally see why people might not like it as much
I'm kinda sad now that the games that get remakes are the ones that were already pretty good. DA2 deserves a remake with actual time put into it and all this cut content restored.
That's fair! I've played through the entire series a few times, and I actually find DA2 the easiest to get through, probably because it's also the shortest. 😆It's not my favourite of the three though
There should be a re-release of DA2 with all the stuff the devs wanted to add to the game included. They just sold us the Mass Effect trilogy again, they can re-release DA2. Plus, the story is being told by Varric who is established to be an unreliable narrator so they can justify any story changes they want. Keep the original DA2 and call it Dragon Age: Varric's Tale or something, and the new DA2 could take out Varric's narration and be the "real story" of what happened. There could also be additions to the original DA2 where they include Varric getting more and more creative as the chapters progressed as a DLC or something. EA likes money, they should do this.
I don't think there are any plans to remaster the older Dragon Age games in the near future, unfortunately. But some time after Dragon Age 4, who knows? I know I'd love if they did something similar to the Mass Effect Legendary edition. Hell, I'd even be happy if it's just DAO and DA2 xD
I remember being so angry playing DA2 at release just because even at that time you could see the bones of all the stuff they wanted to do in the game but had to leave on the cutting room floor. The game that was released was serviceable and I'm amazed the BioWare crew pulled together what they did in that time, but DA2 COULD have been something fantastic and on the same level if not surpassing Origins if they had another year or two of development. I'd just love to see the game given the proper TLC it deserved.
hope there will be a dragon age remake.........in the last "engine" i love the game, but look old with the outdated models, mass effect and dragon age are "equals, in there game , with new contenst and return of the stuff that was lostt
What should have been cut was EA. The game would have been drastically better overall. You can feel how good the bones of this game are when you play. But you can also feel that a LOT of time was missing to finalize it.
Im still so pissed thath they used that horrid Frost engine, DAI could benefit a lot from better companions AI or HUD mods but that engine made with duct tape and dreams made it impossible
Dragon age 2 is my favourite dragon age game so far. I don't mind the more dark and gritty graphics and I don't mind the reused assets. while Origins is fantastic, the combat is really slow, DA 2's combat is fast and impactful. I know they overexaggerate a bit when you charge through mobs and kill them as a warrior, but I love that. I like all the companions in Dragon age 2 except Carver and Anders. I loved Anders in awakening, but the writers of dragon age 2 turned him into, excuse me, a whiny little girl. But he is still well written. he is well written in such a way that you love to hate him. For you WoW fans out there, imagine a mage Sylvanas ok? Sylvanas was written the same way, you just love to hate her as a character. Varric is the opposite, you cannot hate the guy, it is impossible. everyone loves Varric and everyone wants him too lol. but Bianca is the only one for him. I'm sorry for ruining your 1337 (leet) like number on this video hehe :)
I prefer DA2's fast-pased combat over DAO's more slow combat as well, especially when playing a rogue. And hey, the over exaggeration kind of fits the whole theme of DA2 tbh! 😄 It took a while for me to start appreciating Carver, and he doesn't really make it easy to like him so fair enough xD And yeah I do really like Anders as a character, I really like how you can see that merging with Justice has impacted and changed him, and continues to do so as the game progresses. Ah, Sylvanas, didn't she get a redemption arc? I stopped playing WoW a while back (': No worries at all, haha 😄
Of course! I use the Alternate title mod, Kirkwall Expanded, KS Hairs for Dragon Age 2, Witcher 3 - Ciri and Yennefer outfits for FemHawke, and I used a Freckles mod. :D
Unpopular opinion: Dragon Age 2 had the best combat options and HUD, but maybe not the best action during battle. Having access to all spells was amazing. Unlike Inquisition.
Its kinda incredible what they were able to accomplish with so little time. It's kind sad how DA2 is a great game but you can see these idiotic flaws just because EA are dumbasses
Typical Bioware BS. They make a great game, then they botch the planned sequels. Its either time constraints, rushed deadlines, loads of content left out , incomplete games. This crap goes all the way back with star wars knights of the old republic. What this worse? EAs involvement they are the modern ljn . overcharge for half ass finished games then charge more for dlc . my faith in bioware has severly plummeted. DA2 has some nice new features and it had the potential for being an equally great game. Instead? Well..this.
Okay it's crazy how many views this video has been getting! Thanks everyone for watching, commenting, liking and subscribing! I really appreciate it 💙💜
Any cut content abt Fenris? I didn think it was that bad
@@Fenrispro I didn't find anything specific for DA2, but apparently his design would've been updated in the canceled Exalted March DLC and there was going to be a novel about Fenris at some point. Ghil Dirthalen actually made a Fenris video recently where she talks about it. :)
@@LisaLynnsTavern Ahh u replied me thanku 😀😀🙏 im back to see this. I liked shale too
I would give so much money for a DA2 remake. this game deserves better.
Not really
Yeay esp fenris!
I second the motion for a remake your Honor
Agreed. Who do I have to blow, bludgeon or bribe to make it happen?
origins, for me
I really wish they could have done that mage Hawke storyline, because you're right, the dangers of possible possession have never felt particularly real as a mage player character. I also wish they had not forced the Orsino boss fight. I am, however, glad they did not kill off Varric. He is by far my favorite character in the whole franchise.
EA made them add the orsino boss fight, originally it was only meridith that was bad
Loved the EA/Bioware conversation in the beginning xD The idea of a side quest that involves your mage struggling with demon possession sounds super interesting and I hope they implement that or something like it in the next game!
Thank you hahaha
Yeah I agree! I'd love to experience it as a mage myself rather than just hearing about it
It would be cool, if a Solas's friendly spirit was a little bit too eager, and tried to possess you, to get you out of the way.
@@silver7knight389 So would that make it turn into an Envy demon? 🤔
++
@@LisaLynnsTavern dont think a spirit can possess anyone with out consent
Knowing about the planned-DLC, Hawke's line in Inquisition when you meet them about "But then the Exalted March never came" is like...... funny, in a way, but also Damnit David (and EA more specifically), lol
Omg, you're right hahah
Developing DA2 at the same time as Awakening also resulted in a huge continuity error regarding Anders. Act 1 begins just after the end of the Blight, Varric specifically stating that there's only a very narrow window of opportunity to safely venture into the Deep Roads after a Blight, and when we meet Anders he's already well established in Kirkwall. However, Awakening canonically begins 6 months AFTER the end of the Blight so Anders was still in Ferelden, and not yet a Grey Warden, at the time of of the Deep Roads expedition.
The only lore-friendly way to get around this is to assume that Varric is lying to Cassandra for reasons of his own.
You had to work your ass off for a year for Gamlens debt, so it actually does make sense continuity wise
Always love seeing cut content and canceled plans on story heavy games such as these. The consequences of being a mage would've been really cool to see, but I feel like it'd require class-specific quest lines for rogue and warrior as well to balance it out, so I understand why they cut it.
Glad that the Exalted March was cut tho. As much as I would've loved to see more DA2, losing Varric would've been too great a cost.
Yeah I'm still kind of hoping they do something with that concept in the next game, somehow. Though I understand it might be difficult for gameplay reasons, unless they handle it like they were (seemingly) going to in DA2, purely narrative. But you're definitely right! They would have had to give the rogue and warrior something extra as well.
And yeahh man Varric is too precious ):
They could have given the quest to Bethany instead if Hawke wasn't a mage. Maybe.
Weeell, I do really worry for Varric in the next game though
I like to reconcile the problems with DA2 storyline by acknowledging that it's all told by Varric. E.G. Orsino was still a bossfight because he was sponsoring the blood magic research that the mage who killed your mother was doing. Varric needed a better way to say "Hawke killed a mage in a fit or rage". Also, I like to think Anders lied about why he left the Wardens like that because he was trying to cover up Justice.
I'm going to say that Anders was lying about the cat. My Warden in my playthrough would have been his commander, and would never have made him do that... Yeah, he was lying his ass off.
My Warden wouldn't have either, but I feel like this happened after the Warden left to do whatever they're doing in DAI.
Then again, it probably wouldn't be the first time Anders has lied about things 😆
Severely underrated comment 😂
Anders never says the Warden was the one who made him abandon the cat. Maybe it was one of the Senior Wardens( (or more).
Your player warden be it the hof or the other one leaves. So the wardens do it after they leave
In my opinion, the lack of player/companion related demonstration when it comes to the dangers of magic is the main reason why the mage-templar conflict is so one sided with the community. It’s easy to pick the side of oppressed mages when the reason of their treatment has seemingly no justification. Merrill should’ve been in far more danger than what is given to us in her storyline. I would even go so far as to say that encouraging her to use blood magic and “cautiously” deal with the demon to restore the eluvian should’ve ended in her becoming possessed. Dragon Age 2 is full of examples why mages can be dangerous, but it still lacks consequences which makes siding with the templars feel wrong when you could argue that it’s the more immersive decision.
Yep, I fully agree!
This is why in DAO I always side with the Templars, I don't kill all the mages because murder but I do agree with Cullen when talking to Griegor that the mages might be possessed, the fact Irving also agrees shows why it's a good choice. It makes the most sense in universe and isn't a "bad" ending
@@spacejesus6581
In Origins I can take more liberty with the whole Blight and Grey Warden situation going on. Mages are a valuable asset (from a pragmatic point of view) and since there are Templars left in the tower and I want Conner rescued I prefer to have them on my side rather than the Templars.
In DA2 I personally feel like the Templar ending is more climactic and rewarding, but it unfortunately has this bad after taste of mass murder.
It’s not that I’m necessarily pro circle. I just don’t like it when the whole topic gets overly simplified into “bad templars” and “good mages”
Agreed! This is the exact reason I have to *force* myself to side with the Templars in any of the games. I always do it, so I can see all the endings (because I'm OCD like that), but it just feels so unnatural, given how the game actually plays out. I mean, sure, lore-wise, siding with the Templar just *makes sense*, but emotionally, based on the games, it always feels so wrong.
I think DA:I made it pretty clear that the chantry/circles were the source of most of the mage possession issues, they litterally created a problem, on purpose, to keep common people docile.
The Orsino fight still annoys me, good to know the story behind it and (at least some of) the devs also not being happy about it. That also explains why they reused the Harvester model.
After such a long time of playing the DA games, only now do I find out that DA2 has so much cut content. It's a shame that we couldn't see all of it realized.
Anyway, great video. Glad I got this recommended out of nowhere by UA-cam.
Thank you, I appreciate it a lot!
Showed promise, the exalted dlc sounded interesting. If they didnt rushed the game it could had have proper development.
Yeah they just really needed more time. I'm sure they could have fleshed things out a lot more with just one extra year of development
Cross our fingers for an anniversary edition where they can actually finish the game?
I think the decision to not do the exalted March dlc and go all in on inquisition helped in both story terms and development terms so good call in the long run given Inquisitions reception and scope.
Agreed!
I love Varric's exaggerated stories!
Me too!
I really wish they committed to an Elven reclamation/Uprising story instead of the Circle rebellion or both even...
Imagine a world where the Mages are rebelling, the Elves are reclaiming, the Qun are invading and the Chantry are crusading.
I'm looking forward to DA4 though.
I'm also laughing at how accurate my sources were from way back about it.
Ooooh the chaos! xD
You did a great job I love Dragon Age 2 for it’s characters and overall tragic tale which made Hawke a big fan fav protagonist of mine.
Thank you!! Yeah the characters are really good 😄
Really good video! Lots of tidbits I didn’t know about. During Inquisition, the mage-templar war really felt like a rushed story, and now I know why. It seems like all the problems Bioware has were at least indirectly caused by the move to frostbite…I just hope Dreadwolf can break put of that chain painlessly. I’m very excited to see what the channel does in the future!
Thank you!! 😄
Yeah the move to Frostbite caused a lot of trouble, that engine was not made for RPGs at all. Though, they should hopefully have a much easier time working with it now.
At 09:22 it sounded like your were saying "bird-hating gollum". I knew what you meant but it was funny. Great video btw, I love DA2.
Hahaha, thank you!
This was really informative, I never knew so much content was cut out of this game. Thanks for making this
And thank you for watching! 😄
I loved the novel Asunder because it featured Shale and Wynne
I'm so glad I found your videos. It gives me hope one day that if they ever make a legendary edition (gotta love rumors) that some of this content will be restored
Glad to hear that! And yeahh a remaster would be great
hmm, youtube suggesting me a smol, quality channel? kinda weird ngl
binged all videos so far, take my cheeki sub and lets see you get to bigger number soon
tbh, Hawk struggling with possession would be top tier roleplay. big sadge that it got cut.
Thank you! I appreciate it a lot 😄
Yeahh, hopefully they'll manage to do something like that in the future
The way Meredith was introduced by Varric... is much more accurate, xD
I think the reason the Mage possession storyline was cut was not just time but because it sound really close to Merrill's companion story also its kind of sad how the Exalted Marches DLC sounds like it's just a better version of Inquisition would have rather had the dlc to be honest
Dragon Age: Exodus sonds so good. Shame it was never release in full version... i hope at some point (maybe if they make Legendary edition) they release a full version of that game
BTW you are wrong on the point of mage party members being "plot armored" against possesion. If you bring Merril f.e. in the Night Terrors quest she will betray you in favor of what the demon is offering her
Yeah that would be great!
Yes, you're right about companions getting tricked by the demons in that quest, but I specifically meant the danger of casting magic as a mage in general. It's supposed to be a risk every time a spell is cast but we don't really experience that (which is understandable, for gameplay reasons) But something similar to the Mage Hawke possession quest line would be great to have to really let the player feel how dangerous using magic can be
@@LisaLynnsTavern oh i didnt know that. I always assumed that it was the limited lyrium and or the power hunger some mages experience that pushes them into dealing with demons
I wish i lived in a timeline where all this was real 😔
so it wasn't Meridith or Orsino....EA was the true evil in this game..
DA:2 was the most enjoyable game i played of all the three...it's so sad that it could've been way better but EA just wanted to make fast money..
Great video! i didn't know about all this.
Yeah, they just needed more time ):
Thank you! 😃
I now wonder if Hawke's comment about the exalted march never coming in Inquisition was a reference to the canceled exalted march DLC
I wouldn't be surprised if it is haha
@@LisaLynnsTavern Also Inquistion reusing ideas from the canceled DLC for it's mainplot reminds me of what Saints Row 4 did for the original canceled Enter the Dominatrix DLC for Saints Row the 3rd
@@kirbster3678 ohh I heard things about that, but I don't really know the details xD
@@LisaLynnsTavern Well Saints Row 4 also made a commentary version of the DLC where the cast is all commenting on it and Zinyak remarks how anticlimactic his bossfight was in the original Enter the Dominatrix DLC
The warden commander was awesome 😎. But when The Hero of Ferelden left apparently sucked, according to Anders.
I am genuinely sad for quite a few of these cuts
I'm very sorry that Dragon Age 2 is so short compared to dao e dai, the thing that makes me most angry is that Hawke is a beautiful protagonist, I don't know why but honestly, I imagined him several times as the protagonist of a series of video games like Gerald from the witcher; I only customized it once and then I always used the default one, whoever created Hawke cooked.
It's not really worth hoping for a remasterd, but I constantly think about the wasted potential and makes me cry even more is the impossibility of having decent mods, seriously, there's almost nothing in it except cosmetics , I really wish someone would see the potential to remake this video game from top to bottom including Hawke's backstory.💔
I liked isabellas design and the story progression over time in the same area, rather than exploring new zones.
So many small details were what made this game special, even the little ones that made it partly into the game. My head-cannon playthrough will always be mage Hawke with Carver and Merrill in the party long enough to get the flirting ambient dialogues, then them getting married as planned for in Exalted March. No contradictions with canon, AFAIK :)
When I saw Orsino turn into the Harvester, I attacked him in a blind rage.
Nicely done video with some info i did not know about. Keep up the good work.
Thank you!
One of the problems with DA2 that needed more player choice and the consequence of that. Ex Like being able to pick your own race. Also having to pick between your siblings in the first part of the game, either one you choose to save leaves to the grim death of the other.
Great video! Very excited for the inquisition one
Thank you! :D
When i played Da 2 the very first time i felt a bit let down since i played DaO for so long and it was so slim compared to the first part. Never the less i enjoyed many things in it (the characters, that you could have a Mansion etc).
Great Video! I hope you´ll do more :)
Yeah the characters are great! While DA2 has got its weaknesses, there are things it does really well.
Thank you! I definitely will :D
Thank goodness we didn't have the Exalted March DLC if that means Varric will stay alive.
I love these types of videos. So much what ifs and could've beens if any of this stuff when through. Especially since Mark Darrah came out with is DA2 video a bit ago. Really great stuff.
Still cant believe cassandra was gonna sound so different
I still stand by the fact that the companion cast in DA2 is the best in the series, each one has a great individual story and the close nature of always being in Kirkwall means the party banter is unmatched. A couple mods and this game is great
I love these cut content vids. So far I haven't known about many of these, Good job!
New Sub btw!
Second comment: Hawke makes a cameo in DA:I. So sure, Verric might have exaggerated some plots but Hawke was Champion of Kirkwall.
2024: Dragon Age Vailguard. Perhaps they can remake or re-release of Origins & my beloved DA 2. That would be satisfy.
So i clicked on this because it was recommended content and as soon as i hear the voice i instantly go, this one is dutch...
EA is the worst thing thats ever happen to BioWare they destroyed the company's reputation because of the new executive politics many BioWare lead game developers have left the company leaving Dragon Age 4 on ice and let's not talk about Anthem, that game was hot garbage even if you ran on a high end PC and Mass Effect Andromeda as well like what the hell were they thinking? 🙄🙄🙄🤔
Bioware: *Kills off characters in this gaming franchise in rather gruesome ways*
ALSO Bioware: *wanted to kill off Captain Chesthair*
Random Bioware employee: I'm sorry we don't do that here.
You'd think they would have done a re release a few months later, with the final version of the game
So glad I found your channel ^^ keep up the good work 👍
Do you have a canon warden/hawke/inquisitor ? If so I would love to hear about them :)
Thank you! 💜
And yes I do! 😄My canon worldstate is a Circle Mage Warden (Elf), mage Hawke and a Lavellan Inquisitor who's also a mage. (I love magic okay don't jugde haha) My Warden survived killing the Archdemon because she agreed to Morrigan's Dark Ritual, and my Hawke was not left in the Fade so she is alive and well. As for my Inquisitor, welllll she is alive but pretty pissed off at Solas for taking not only her arm, but also her heart 😂
What about you? 😄
@@LisaLynnsTavern
I have two 😅
One is kinda sad- Human male noble who married Anora because Alistair wanted to stay with the wardens. He romanced Morrigan, but didn’t go with her trough the eluvian, because he thought, he had to watch over Ferelden. Hawke was male sarcastic rogue and was left in the fade. The Inquisitor was a female qunari mage, who at first was very shy and in the end very aggressive
The seconde on is more happy and more of a what if story. Warden was male dwarf warrior, who also romanced Morrigan but left with her. My Hawke is Anora, who had to left Ferelden because she lost her throne(I know it doesnt make sense but it is a what if story😅) and she has a relationship with Varric, but they keept that a secret. The Inquisitor is a male qunari mage and is actually the Arishok, who was spared from Hawke and started a new life outside oft he Qun and realised that the Qun is wrong. He also was always a mage but he keept that a secret because of how the mages have to live under the Qun.
He romanced Cassandra and wants to save Solas, because Hawke proved to him that the world is worth saving and he wants to prove that to Solas too 😅
@@kylosnow2146 Nice!! Which one will you be using for the next Dragon Age game first?
I have a few other world states apart from my canon, it's fun to play around with choices. (:
@@LisaLynnsTavern
i haven't decided yet but probably the second one.The first one is very special for me, but also very sad 😅, perhaps I change my mind later. But yeah it is so fun to play with all the choices the game gives you ^^
@@kylosnow2146 There's still plenty of time to make up your mind!
i dunno if this is cut-content but since my flag bugged and wont let me do finding nathaniel quest, i did debugged it instead and triggered it, but shockingly, i found a voiced Sigrun with Nathaniel
im so sad I really hope we see shale in the next game
Me too ):
10:00 always made me laugh when he felt the need to be like "BTW I never used blood magic until now 😀"
Yeah 😆 Thanks Orsino, great timing!
Wow, very interesting! I loved da2, and it's incredible to think that the game could have been even better.
Short term profit gains ruin so much in our lives...
Valena I actually didn't find her annoying because she wanted to find her sister and avenge her clan
Man i love this series
10:00 always made me laugh when he felt the need to be like "BTW I never used blood magic until now "
Like most games today, blame EA for the troubles the game devs went through on this one. I, personally, adore this game. It's my favorite of the three. The story was so great, and Hawke is my favorite of the PCs by far.
Wait. They never had any intention of letting you upgrade your companions' armor?
Personally, if that`s what they wanted to shove in, I`m glad they trimmed down the content. Most of those seem rather superfluous.
Great video though. I really did learn a tad more about this fun trainwreck of a game :)
Hahah glad you enjoyed it, thank you so much!
I would have loved the possession storyline, the changing city and reacting and more frequent NPCs.
Oh, I love this!!! 😁 So many things I didn't know about!
Honestly, before I played DA2, I was kinda wary about it and believed the critics a bit too much - but when I finally got into it, I fell in love instantly. It's incredible how much work the devs managed to put into it over such a short period of time & how awesome the final product is!
That being said, a lot of these cut parts could have been very interesting to see in-game!
The Exalted March DLC would have definitely served as a great 'missing piece' of the mage/templar conflict puzzle, on a grander scale.
But... WE COULD HAVE HAD SHALE IN KIRKWALL??? 🤩🤩🤩
COME ON! Now I will never sleep soundly again 😅😁😁😁
Ah well, no gamer can have everything.
And at least Varric is still alive, thank the Maker!
Thank you for putting this together, now I gotta share it with my fellow DA-freaks! 😁😊😊
Omg thank you so much!
Yeah I agree, despite everything BioWare managed to make a really good game!
And as for Shale, I'd love to see her again, I'm kinda hoping we'll run into her in Tevinter, in the next game :D
Shale should return with Wynne in Dreadwolf as when you end DAO when speaking with them after defeating the Archdemon they mention going to Tevinter
Wynne can't return.
Why not?
@@PantyGoblin - She was in a DA book called "Asunder." Shale, too, actually.
Um, well, she died.
In Inquestion during champion of the just you can get possed and it ends the game.
If i hear this correct,the exalted march was 33% od inquisition. Would have made that game a lot different or shorter. What would it have been when cory was already known or even gone due to hawke. Oh,probably would and could make Solas take the limelight already making the Dreadwolf game not necessary. Glad it turned out this way but come on out with Dreadwolf already.
Why does the exalted march dlc sounds so much better than DA:I.
I personally love Inquisition, but the idea for the Exalted March DLC that they had does sound really good. Too bad we'll never get to play it ):
Now i regret they never done this dlc so i wouldn’t have to deal with varric in inquisition
I think I heard that the Mage-Quest was cut because it turned out to be irritating and not very fun to play.
Thanks for this video. I was so mad when this game came out. I couldn't really get into inquisition either, because this game was so bad. It didn't feel the same
Thank you for watching!
Excellent video. I think I am one of the few Dragon Age Origins fan that really enjoyed DA2, yet found inquisition very disappointing.
Thank you!
Inquisition is very different from DA2, (Tbh, all three games are pretty different from each other) so I don't think it's that uncommon! I know many people really disliked the open-world style in Inquisition and the many fetch/collect quests (coughshardscough). And then there's also less character customisation, in terms of attribute points, skills etc. Inquisition's my favourite, but I can totally see why people might not like it as much
I'm kinda sad now that the games that get remakes are the ones that were already pretty good. DA2 deserves a remake with actual time put into it and all this cut content restored.
No way Exalted March and Legacy were both going to be DLCs. Cory being set free in one and becoming the villain in the other?
The music was pretty epic. Kind of muay thai-ish
Dragon age 2 was alright. Not much replay ability IMO but ORIGINS...now thats a masterpiece.
That's fair! I've played through the entire series a few times, and I actually find DA2 the easiest to get through, probably because it's also the shortest. 😆It's not my favourite of the three though
Cassandra should have been included in act 3 - a smal part.
Damn Varric not dying in Exalted March makes me fear he'll most likely die in Dragon Age Dreadwolf
Hopefully not ):
There should be a re-release of DA2 with all the stuff the devs wanted to add to the game included. They just sold us the Mass Effect trilogy again, they can re-release DA2. Plus, the story is being told by Varric who is established to be an unreliable narrator so they can justify any story changes they want. Keep the original DA2 and call it Dragon Age: Varric's Tale or something, and the new DA2 could take out Varric's narration and be the "real story" of what happened. There could also be additions to the original DA2 where they include Varric getting more and more creative as the chapters progressed as a DLC or something. EA likes money, they should do this.
I don't think there are any plans to remaster the older Dragon Age games in the near future, unfortunately. But some time after Dragon Age 4, who knows? I know I'd love if they did something similar to the Mass Effect Legendary edition. Hell, I'd even be happy if it's just DAO and DA2 xD
I remember being so angry playing DA2 at release just because even at that time you could see the bones of all the stuff they wanted to do in the game but had to leave on the cutting room floor. The game that was released was serviceable and I'm amazed the BioWare crew pulled together what they did in that time, but DA2 COULD have been something fantastic and on the same level if not surpassing Origins if they had another year or two of development. I'd just love to see the game given the proper TLC it deserved.
gaaah, I wanted my Hawke to marry her broody elf 🥰🥰🥰 oh well, at least my Lavellan marries Cullen 😊😊
hope there will be a dragon age remake.........in the last "engine" i love the game, but look old with the outdated models, mass effect and dragon age are "equals, in there game ,
with new contenst and return of the stuff that was lostt
What should have been cut was EA. The game would have been drastically better overall. You can feel how good the bones of this game are when you play. But you can also feel that a LOT of time was missing to finalize it.
Change of direction is not the same as cut content.
Im still so pissed thath they used that horrid Frost engine, DAI could benefit a lot from better companions AI or HUD mods but that engine made with duct tape and dreams made it impossible
Shale 😍😍😍
Dragon age 2 is my favourite dragon age game so far. I don't mind the more dark and gritty graphics and I don't mind the reused assets. while Origins is fantastic, the combat is really slow, DA 2's combat is fast and impactful. I know they overexaggerate a bit when you charge through mobs and kill them as a warrior, but I love that. I like all the companions in Dragon age 2 except Carver and Anders. I loved Anders in awakening, but the writers of dragon age 2 turned him into, excuse me, a whiny little girl. But he is still well written. he is well written in such a way that you love to hate him. For you WoW fans out there, imagine a mage Sylvanas ok? Sylvanas was written the same way, you just love to hate her as a character. Varric is the opposite, you cannot hate the guy, it is impossible. everyone loves Varric and everyone wants him too lol. but Bianca is the only one for him.
I'm sorry for ruining your 1337 (leet) like number on this video hehe :)
I prefer DA2's fast-pased combat over DAO's more slow combat as well, especially when playing a rogue. And hey, the over exaggeration kind of fits the whole theme of DA2 tbh! 😄
It took a while for me to start appreciating Carver, and he doesn't really make it easy to like him so fair enough xD And yeah I do really like Anders as a character, I really like how you can see that merging with Justice has impacted and changed him, and continues to do so as the game progresses. Ah, Sylvanas, didn't she get a redemption arc? I stopped playing WoW a while back (':
No worries at all, haha 😄
Can I get list of the mods you used in this video?
Of course!
I use the Alternate title mod, Kirkwall Expanded, KS Hairs for Dragon Age 2, Witcher 3 - Ciri and Yennefer outfits for FemHawke, and I used a Freckles mod. :D
Really? An expansion for DAO instead of an sequel would be 100% better
Unpopular opinion: Dragon Age 2 had the best combat options and HUD, but maybe not the best action during battle. Having access to all spells was amazing. Unlike Inquisition.
Agreed, it was a little annoying that you could only have 8 spells on your bar
It forever annoyed me how cullen forgets your’e a mage multiple times because the writers overlooked it.
Hawke: Literally walks around with a staff on their back, shooting fireballs in the middle of the street
Everyone else: Somehow doesn't notice
Your blonde Hawke looks like Martha Stewart
EA ruined a game's development? Say it ain't so.
Surprise, surprise 😅
Its kinda incredible what they were able to accomplish with so little time. It's kind sad how DA2 is a great game but you can see these idiotic flaws just because EA are dumbasses
I wished they left Anders alone! He was a hero in DAA! But they turned him in such a villain. They should bring a completely new companion for it.
He's not a villain at all.
So the moral of your video is that EA screwed up everything. I hate EA
Dragon Age 2 will forever be the most disappointing game for me and hearing this just makes me sad
DA 2 was my first DA game, of course it was the weakest one of the series because EA likes to fuck up everything
Like cats still hate Anders.
I hate EA.
hahahaha ahhh, if only the people who made didn't actively try their damnedest to serve us shit lol
Typical Bioware BS. They make a great game, then they botch the planned sequels. Its either time constraints, rushed deadlines, loads of content left out , incomplete games. This crap goes all the way back with star wars knights of the old republic. What this worse? EAs involvement they are the modern ljn . overcharge for half ass finished games then charge more for dlc . my faith in bioware has severly plummeted. DA2 has some nice new features and it had the potential for being an equally great game. Instead? Well..this.
I hate the new darkspawn, in origins it was so much better.
me: watches this expecting something close to a cohesive plot*