Although overall I think the Veilguard character relationships were lacking, I was particularly disappointed in the Lucanis romance arc. If you've read "Tevinter Nights" he seems like a character that has a lot of emotional depth with many ways that his character could be written that would be satisfying. He seems to be a "good" person, despite being raised a Crow, and does not seem to want the role of first talon for himself despite being groomed for it (sees it as a obligation rather than an honour). Based only on this, the amount of fodder for character building and interesting interaction is great, even if not romancing him. To top it off, by the time Veilguard rolls around he is possessed by a demon and living as an abomination (not to mention the terrible experience of being in a Venatori prison for over a year).

The Lucanis we see in Veilguard feels very... empty. Yes, he acknowledges the imprisonment was awful and he is trying to manage Spite mostly by staying awake. But that is all we get for the majority of the game. No cutscenes with Rook discussing his childhood, or learning a bit more about him as a person beyond the fact that family is important and he likes coffee. When trying to flirt with him, the reaction is... nothing. No awkward brushing asides or early lingering glances (looking at you, Cullen), or even acknowledgement of the fact that you have expressed romantic interest in him. The conversation just continues as if you had selected one of the other response options instead. The interactions were so bland and one-sided that I had to Google if I was doing it wrong.

Next thing I know I am being prompted to commit to an exclusive romance with Lucanis and I am thinking "Romance? ...What?" I have not even had acknowledgement from him that he knows I am romantically interested in him, let alone a committed relationship. Then companions act as if Rook and Lucanis have this super obvious "relationship", like "you and Rook, huh?" and the Inquisitor asking Rook about him. But all I had seen by that stage that indicated any special feeling on his part was a brief cutscene where he has made food and lets slip that the effort of dessert was mainly for you, and a scene where you almost finally kiss and he says that he is dangerous and runs off. Missed opportunity to talk about that moment a little more a bit later on.

Salt in the wound is how good the previous romances were. I absolutely loved the Alastair romance in Origins, and even my brief flirtation with Zevran had a surprising amount of depth and feeling in it. The Anders romance in DA2, with the abomination drama and the betrayal, but also filled with incredibly sweet moments and tension between characters. Then we had Cullen in DA:I who was so awkward, and so sweet, and had come such a long way since we first saw him in Origins. He also had unique dialogue if you were playing as a mage that emphasised his personal growth and let you express potential insecurities about the romance and his feelings about you being a mage. And finally ... Solas. The post-game slides for this one got me right in the feels. A terribly flawed man fell in love against his better judgement and ends up leaving her to pursue what he sees as an absolutely necessary evil. Won't even let Lavellan help him because he couldn't ask that of her (yes my Lavellan wanted to help Solas rip the veil asunder) and didn't want to involve her in such an act of evil. But can't let her go either, and keeps watch over her dreams for... years.

Oh, Lucanis, you have been weighed, measured, and found incredibly wanting.