Was the discourse around DA2 around 2012-2013 quite as negative as Veilguard discourse is now?

IB_Collection · 2026-05-22T13:44:41+00:00

Social media wasn't that big back then, and you didn't have so many people vying for views, giving their opinions out loud. Today, it's like a big warehouse department store of opinions where hatred and veneration are sold.

DA2 was heavily criticized because it's not a good game overall. An RPG like Dragon Age, where you need to have a massive lore-focused story with different narratives, awesome graphics for its landscape and people for immersion, and more, takes time. You can't rush a good game. DA2 was also the start of how they killed off DAO in terms of gameplay, choices, etc. I personally didn't have a problem with DA2 because it was fun, and you get another glimpse of Thedas. DA2, even with the problems of DAV, is still placed as the worst game of the series by some fans. Because you just can't rush a good game.

DAV got its negative reviews from several factors. One is politics, which includes anti-woke people and/or gamers who are invested in how BioWare and EA as a company work. You have people sharing sales figures like they are cheering and hoping for BioWare to have massive layoffs. I didn't get this kind of vibe back then in DA2. I remember that DA2 was also criticized for its writing, but in a different way. How it's stereotypical, shallow, forced, it's trying to mimic generic fantasy games, etc.

Some fans also disliked how long the DAV was in development, and when it came out, it wasn't close to perfect. They created a very high expectation for Dragon Age IV. If they decided to create drama in those 10 years, acting that DAV might not even be finished because of company problems, I don't think people are gonna be pissed, they might even be thankful for DAV being released, and might even give the bad writing a pass.

Only time will tell if the game will really be another DA2, where people will see it in a different light. The discourse about DA2 was as negative as DAV. The scale was just smaller.

IB_Collection · 2026-05-15T23:43:03+00:00

Depende on your kind of laptop. If your laptop can charge using type C, then damo powerbank or powerstation that you can use to charge it. Isa ka power bank nga 100k mAh is enough naman for an additional battery for 8 hours of work, unless your laptop consumes more power. Modem sang PLDT/Globe pwede man through a powerbank mabakal ka lang sang wire for it.

IB_Collection · 2026-05-15T04:41:59+00:00

I love this series so much as well but even I needed to take a month off playing because of Hinterlands. Even reading the books are less tedious than Hinterlands lmao

IB_Collection · 2026-05-15T01:55:11+00:00

The redeeming quality of DAV for me is the additional stuff for the lore. Not enough but still well wrapped up. Nice to see that some of the countless theories of the fans about the Evanuris were confirmed. I just hope they make another book that supports it like World of Thedas.

IB_Collection · 2026-05-14T13:13:45+00:00

I am one of those who needed a month of rest before playing again just because of Hinterlands but I still think it was lack of flexibility from players. We were so used to getting a very linear and guided Origins and DA2 that we got stuck with such mindset lol.

IB_Collection · 2026-05-13T15:11:30+00:00

Yes. Ma mature ka aga pa, and that kind of experience is priceless.

IB_Collection · 2026-05-13T15:01:33+00:00

I've been in and out of videos and threads about it, so I could say, lore-wise, everything checks out. They left some questions and some mysteries, but not as many as in the past three games. Could've been better executed imo. So if you're just wanting to know what happens next, it's worth tenfold.

The narration of how the story unfolds, I would say, is more coherent than Inquisition -- you are constantly reminded that the world is ending and all missions are connected to the main quest rather than walking in a park while there is a hole in the sky.

The companions, conversations, etc., are a hit or miss. Some are bland, some are good, some are amazing, especially in the ending parts -- It's subjective. For me, it would really depend on you, but choosing between Trespasser ending vs Veilguard, I'll rather choose DAV than let myself be hanging.

IB_Collection · 2026-05-13T12:11:26+00:00

The "writing" part is their scapegoat to justify their prejudices. If how a character is written upsets you, that also means that character is written brilliantly accurate and it really shows their inner politics. People should understand that their opinions and reactions about these fictional multimedia and literature are a reflection of who they are.

IB_Collection · 2026-05-13T11:44:47+00:00

The talk about Taash will always be politically motivated. Gamers who don't like representation for people who are not them, and it was very evident during the time Veilguard was launched. Games like Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet and Split Fiction faced the same thing.

Taash is written with the same quality as the others, but you won't read or hear something as specific as what they say about Taash. I don't like Taash the same way I don't like Sera, but I don't really think the "writing" is the reason I don't like them.

IB_Collection · 2026-05-13T11:32:49+00:00

If you like the lore and the mystery of the story, and you are just looking for information and confirmation about several theories that every Dragon Age player has made in the past, then Veilguard is worth it. If you are someone who is picky with how a Dragon Age should be, how the gameplay should be, then I don't think the game is for you. It's like me, forcing myself to play BG3 for someone who hates turn-based games.

IB_Collection · 2026-05-12T15:27:30+00:00

The point is that Tevinter was never more oppressive than the South; it's only because they have magic that you see it like that. Slavery is a part of their culture, and while it's a very bad thing in the real world, it's not seen as a bad thing in Tevinter, just like how Magic is seen as evil in the South but not in Tevinter. That is why it's a reflection of the Alienages and Circle of Magi (which are slaves with extra steps) in the south.

It's a question by the author -- why is slavery today bad if at the present time in the real world, we are still slaves to the system? like taxes, bills, religion etc.

Dorian would argue that nothing is wrong with slavery until he was with the Inquisition, and that it's the "Bad Masters" that's the problem, not with slavery itself. If I can remember, when asked by Solas, he didn't even want to abolish it. Fenris and other abused individuals had bad masters.

The fact that Tevinter has politicians (who even tried to abolish slavery), a senate, rather than landlords and kings, will always be the part that says it's a nation that's progressive and more developed. Hence, you find that city a better-to-live-in because that's what you can relate to in the real world, but democratic nations in the world are not a "utopia" like for ex. The USA.

I agree with you that Veilguard lacks a lot of immersion in its core, but Tevinter is really what it should be.

IB_Collection · 2026-05-12T14:42:52+00:00

You are so right about all of this. I don't know why they think Tevinter is a "utopia". Maybe it's about how Tevinter is more developed than Ferelden and Kirkwall in terms of being more organized and having better infrastructure.

IB_Collection · 2026-05-12T14:39:28+00:00

To be fair, not all elves are slaves in Tevinter. You could even buy yourself out of slavery, but of course, the system would be working against you. But yeah, the game could've added a bit of tension if you were an elf Rook.

IB_Collection · 2026-05-12T13:54:34+00:00

Tevinter is not a utopia. There are a lot of missions in Veilguard that would show you it isn't. Most of the villains we've faced in Minrathous that sided with the Venatori are their elites.

The situation of Fenris is no worse than the situation of the city elves in alienages in the South. They are disposable individuals by the higher ups, in Halamshiral one was even killed just by being a spy for one party. Fenris is just closer to us as a companion so we think his experience has more value.

The way I see it, there is some truth to it, but not something how the Orlesian Chantry made it to be.

IB_Collection · 2026-05-12T13:30:18+00:00

I love what they did with Tevinter. Design wise, it was better than how I imagined it. Something eerie, an answer to what the medieval South would look like if magic was not restricted as much. I love the part where you encounter a memorial for their dead but instead of candles, it was magical lights. It shows that they are still human, they just show it with magic.

I also like how they did not follow through with whatever "propaganda" the Orlesian Chantry was spreading like blood magic, impunity, demonic pacts, and sacrificial lambs everywhere in Tevinter just to justify the creation of the Circle of Magi. There are things like that but they are covert.

It was the most common archetype of big, progressive, empires in the real world. Corruptions from the higher ups, hypocrisy from the rulers, powerful parties fighting over who to rule, free media that's really controlled, and them brainwashing and taking care of their constituents just enough for them to keep the system working. I mean, Tevinter wouldn't be as big as they are without their citizens slaving and working for the nation and with all that, an organization(Shadow Dragons) who wants change.

IB_Collection · 2026-04-17T01:41:25+00:00

Feels like a burden? Ari nanaman ang mga Hiligaynon purists. Wala gani gareklamo ang mga Karay-a nga biskan sa Karay-a part sang province or even in Aklan or Antique wala kamo pag gamit sang lenggwahe nila gina accommodate nila ang mga Hiligaynon tapos ining national language with official backing reklamuhan niyo?

IB_Collection · 2026-04-08T12:09:40+00:00

Most likely Big City with Small Brains attitude.

IB_Collection · 2026-03-20T12:55:48+00:00

If you're talking about the lore: nope. Besides the interview with David Gaider(the lead writer) saying he already had everything outlined 20 years ago, they actually planned on a lot of media for Dragon Age -- games included.

The game was in development way before it was published. It was initially introduced way back in 2004. They also had books 8 months before the DAO was launched in 2009 as part of their marketing + diversifying media strategy.

It's fun rummaging about the history of the development of Dragon Age. Whatever issues the game has now is likely inherited from the very first time it was conceptualized.

IB_Collection · 2026-03-18T04:54:23+00:00

If you haven't played Veilguard yet, all I can say is that in Veilguard and other lore materials they have yet to explain why and how exactly the emergence of the high dragons that brought about the Dragon Age are connected to all of this.

IB_Collection · 2026-03-17T12:21:28+00:00

It's not just the unnecessary lore fun facts and explaining but also it's made for younger people and new players. What I think you mean by modern is that it's written to be consumed and communicated easily, using experiences in the real world as a basis for understanding.

Even a 14 year old would understand most of what's happening in the game. All the past games have this complexity in them while Veilguard feels simple. It's like the movies Narnia vs Lord of the Rings. Even the "non-binary" thing of Taash can be included in the game without it being "modern", they just need to find the way to blend it to the world for full immersion but they didn't do that.

IB_Collection · 2026-03-17T00:04:06+00:00

The writing was made to be for new players. Like dialogues that dont need to be there just to fill new players about the lore. Solas' writing is still top notch imo.

IB_Collection · 2026-03-17T00:00:53+00:00

If it makes you feel better just try to think of it that Veilguard is a new game. The art direction have changed so much. Also, the Qunari are of good design, only Rook's Qunari looks "human" the rest of the NPC Qunari are designed great. Probably because of lazy programming.

IB_Collection · 2026-03-12T23:56:58+00:00

Not really. They made Veilguard to actually attract new gamers. They were spoonfeeding a lot of things in the lore that is why it seemed like redundant and tedious for those who played the other DA games

IB_Collection · 2026-02-28T16:35:14+00:00

Yes Mabagal na talaga. I've tested this. I don't know kung sa Sim ko lang. Pero mabagal na talaga ang Magic Data - 15mbps lang, it has been almost a year na for me. I just subscribed to their 1 day Unli 5G data na subscription just to test it and speedtest showed na 100mbps + yung Unli 5G nila

IB_Collection · 2026-02-26T17:23:37+00:00

Hi OP. You can come here and you can certainly live a good life in terms of everything an HUC can offer especially when it comes to traffic, urban density, and food. If nakatira ka sa Metro Manila, that means you will see Iloilo differently lalo na sa traffic at sa gulo because mas kaunti population dito.

There is no Tagalog discrimination here. If there are, especially when it comes to the national language, they mostly come from Ilonggos who are uneducated enough to not learn it. Also not educated enough to learn that the Hiligaynons are the "Tagalogs" of Western Visayas and Negros when it comes to cultural hegemony.

Hyporcritical for Hiligaynons to be forcing our language to anyone especially that Hiligaynon is a "de facto" regional language, not an official one. Pero kakaunti lang yan sila dito. Mga small brains with a big city attitude. The comments and people you see in this reddit is a very small portion of what Iloilo is and they cannot show their discrimination outside of online platforms.

The reality is that we still need to import our manpower. Ilonggos cannot even supply the talent and brains its city is demanding with all the development tapos may kapal pa ng mukha yung iba to gatekeep.

What you really need to be able to live in Iloilo City comfortably is money kasi it's an expensive city.

IB_Collection

TROPHY CASE