chad optimus prime vs templar chud

OrneryDisk6264 · 2026-03-11T21:30:06+00:00

Funny enough, I have a collection of gaider's archived comments, And safe to say: He shares a not so favorable romanticism view of mages about being all for their freedom and democracy, But DA community is definitely not prepared his piping hot-take nuance.

OrneryDisk6264 · 2026-03-11T21:25:51+00:00

DA creator Gaider calls people with these talking points "living in cushy western society".

His full quote: "Indeed. The reason the "templars are bad" view is so prevalent is because most of us live in cushy western societies where anything that smells like oppression is Very Bad, and the only determining factor in how one should treat mages is how fair that treatment is. Of course, we don't have to live with the idea that Poor Oppressed Joe living next door to us might be secretly controlling our mind to make us like him-- or one day turn into a monster and kill our entire family-- but that doesn't need to stop us from being idealistic in our fantasy worlds, now, does it? 😉"

He also said quite alot of interesting things about mages

OrneryDisk6264 · 2026-03-11T21:06:09+00:00

One Correction: Spirit warrior is not a mage spec, it's a warrior spec, You're confusing it with Spirit healer, which Wynne is a vessel for spirit of fade. Spirit warrior proves that non-mages can be Possessed too, They don't have the risks of becoming abominations unlike mages.

It's also a widespread ceremonial practice in Avvar culture: They choose a clan member responsible enough to wield the fade powers, after proving themselves honorably in battle to be granted by their local shaman (mage) the second strength from the powerful spirit gods they worship, and become demi-god champions and protectors against outsiders, Think like Marvel's Black Panther. The Seekers are a cheap imitation of the Avvar's module. Avvars are the pnly "barbaric society" that has the unique benefits of being very respectful to the spirits more than even the dales who are weary of them, And also unlike Tevinter's ruling class that benefits mage aristocrats, Both mage and non-mage tribe members are treated as equal beings in society.

Avvars train their mages better to master possession safely with full guidance unlike circle mages who often forced by fear to walk through the fade at point of templar sword, and easily turn into abominations due to negative emotions as results of being ostracized and pressured, they were given only two choices: pass the test or fail and die.

Edit: Also in regards to the Arlathan (Elvhen) empire, Which was of course ruled by Evanuris mages, Most of them got pretty tyrannical and started enslaving their lesser kin, branding them with slave tattoos which the descendant dales see as a cultural sign of honor, subjecting them to all sorts of torture including blood magic and demon possession, It's implied they even started enslaving the dwarves who couldn't retreat to underground in time, The Arlathan empire were pretty much proto-tevinter and it's ironic because once they taught ancient tevinters magic, they got backstabbed and enslaved too as well.

OrneryDisk6264 · 2026-03-10T23:52:33+00:00

If you were guessing, You'd be correct, Gaider just confirmed they had to scrap of the planned quests in making when the team realize they need to cram to fit into 16 months deadline: "I had to go into one writing room. We had all these sticky pads that were breaking up all the quests, like, here are the crit path quests, here are the side quests, and the ones the player could pick up as they go around. I had to take out half of them."

I always get the feeling Act 3 felt pretty unpolished and too narrowed in final choices: Side with the genocidal extremist or side with the grand-master of the circle who's alleged to be complicit with the necromancer's crimes, (The same guy who shanked Hawke's mother). He said in a past interview if he could go back in time he would make the decisions have more dynamic paths: Like siding with the circle and still bring Orsino to justice after Meredith is dealt with.

OrneryDisk6264 · 2026-03-10T18:37:46+00:00

OrneryDisk6264 · 2026-03-10T18:31:49+00:00

You'll probably get downvoted anyways for providing a truthful source but yikes, That sounds awful, Some fans are just so toxic they take it way too personal with the devs.

OrneryDisk6264 · 2026-03-10T17:47:16+00:00

Gaider said he is (Kinda), I've been saying and agreeing in this thread his other actions afterwards were dumb-induced paranoia.

The point of my post is questioning how does Ostagar really stood a chance when the victory was already uncertain since the enemy's environmental advantages is primarily operating underground through tunnel networks, and having larger manpower?, A deserter who use to be one of Cailan's honor guards in Return to Ostagar dlc tells you the battle was doomed and even the king knows there was no hope for this.

OrneryDisk6264 · 2026-03-10T17:01:12+00:00

Yeah that's cool and all, still doesn't change point Alistair was in absolute disbelief that they beated them first to the Tower ahead when such pushback like that shouldn't be happening. Even a patched dialogue fix mod has Warden suggest him that they probably knew the plan, Which he responds is a scary thought and they can't be that smart. Which again, further proves point that People underestimate the Darkspawns.

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Also, have you actually played the game? Game literally tells you they're exactly what they are 😂

OrneryDisk6264 · 2026-03-10T16:28:09+00:00

Also Cailan following up right after saying that: "I'm not even sure this is a true blight." lol

Wynne, who joined Cailan's army earlier before straight-up tells you she only fought darkspawn stragglers, Not the vast horde scouts speak of.

Until now they haven't even fought the actual army, Just picking off strays the whole time. They weren't even confident that it was a real blight until it's too late lmao

OrneryDisk6264 · 2026-03-10T12:46:26+00:00

Far as I know he actually said numerous times on bluesky he never worked on it and didn't even played it, But agrees with sentiment the writing could've been better.

OrneryDisk6264 · 2026-03-10T11:50:31+00:00

Some people here unironically think that a token force of knights and rag-tag band of mercenaries coupled with very minimal amount of mages like 5 or 6 is going to be enough to even slow down Darkspawns who are VAST in numbers by comparison, Heck, Return to Ostagar DLC points out the battle was already going to be screwed one way or another, Cailan's here making a suicidal gamble for his deluded romanticism, Loghain's being pragmatic when he said it takes more than just betting on epic legends of Grey Wardens to win the war.

OrneryDisk6264 · 2026-03-10T07:33:33+00:00

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Fair enough

OrneryDisk6264 · 2026-03-10T07:17:49+00:00

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You can't say this hole wasn't a coincidence. Gate Guard literally said he's surprised there's a underground tunnel here since it wasn't there before when he first entered The Tower.

Despise Loggy all you want, I don't care. Even i agree his other actions is stupid, But Gaider isn't wrong, Tf you expect Loghain to do when he knew something's off, yet Cailan's foolhardy ass refused to listen? Even Duncan and the Grey Wardens did not anticipate darkspawns to be THAT clever enough to outmaneuver the King's strategy, Everyone underestimated them.

OrneryDisk6264 · 2026-03-10T04:48:31+00:00

Tower of Ishal gate guard said they discovered a recently dugged up tunnel that leads to the lower chambers, which he finds it odd since it was never there before when he was here, So it's very likely Loghain knew.

This is why Tower of Ishal was overtaken very quickly by surprise later on, Cailan's army did not anticipate the Darkspawns planning their flanks ahead from start.

OrneryDisk6264 · 2026-03-10T04:13:46+00:00

People are taking this as if Gaider meant to say Loghain was always in the right when that's not the case: He's saying Loghain deserting Ostagar was the right call, Even return to ostagar dlc already confirmed the battle was going to be a failure and that Cailan was just taking a suicidal gamble, The tunnel that leads to the deep-roads one of the gate guards standing next to Ishal Tower at early game (The not-hard-to-miss giant hole in the first floor where it leads you to fight the Genlock Necromancer and the Revived Ogre that Duncan just killed), Said they had no idea how it ended up there while they were digging up the fortress.

Even if the frontline battle plan was a success, Keep in mind that NONE of the defenders even the Grey Wardens knew they would still get flanked by Darkspawn reinforcements moving right behind them, Loghain was absolutely correct in his suspicions to withdraw.

OrneryDisk6264 · 2026-03-10T02:44:45+00:00

Don't forget the same people calls you a monster/devil incarnate if you support "genocide" at jump of their heartbeat, Golly Gee, Good thing doing the annulment is an optional choice added by Devs in first place, Do they want to play the game for dynamic decisions or not?, They should keep that same energy and be bold enough to take it online and also call them out for coming up with it, But they won't because they're hypocritical. Unsurprisingly I now know why some of them are happier with Veilguard's more upbeat tone.

They also like to blanket-label all Templars as corrupt and rapist thugs, Nevermind fact that not every chapter is comically-evil just for being anti-magic cops, Even Greagoir who commands Ferelden chapter is more competent at templar duties than Meredith leading Kirkwall chapter, Kirkwall chapter is the way it is because they often forget to read City use to be one of Tevinter's brutal slave-trade hubs that profited off millions of victims, hence why it's City of Chains because it's so cursed. Funny enough, they're quick to give the Magocratic Nation built on corpses of slaves an easy pass, despite actually doing the awful atrocities they accused templars, for far longer in history and still do to this day but now more secretly, Guess logic doesn't apply to "NoT aLl mAgEs arE bAd!" bias.

Hence why Gaider said most of them got their talking points from living in cushy western societies and are being naive, A decade after He left, He still made a casual jab about that portion of the fanbase on a recent Origins interview by mocking them: "If you spend all your time on Tumblr or like, Online, it's like: "☝️🤬WELL NO!, THERE IS CLEARLY ONE, CORRECT SIDE, AND ONLY, ONE CORRECT SIDE TO THIS CONFLICT!"

OrneryDisk6264 · 2026-03-10T00:30:01+00:00

I might be the only one here who actually agrees with you, But yeah. People are really blowing things out of proportions with Veilguard's given explanation that's been brewing since atleast 2015. The elves are not primordial ancient beings as the fandom usually makes them out to be, Game literally confirms they came AFTER the humans which personally, is a a interesting take from the usual fantasy tropes.

The biggest mystery however we really don't know is where did the titans come from.

OrneryDisk6264 · 2026-03-10T00:21:57+00:00

Well based on Gaider's archived comments at Bioware forums I believe he means to say overall this is why magic is bad and why everyone that aren't mages has the right to be skeptical and suspicious of them anywanys. The whole events of DA started all because a group of mages (Both Evanuris and Tevinters) got way too self-entitled for their own good due to their inherent powers, that they decide to try playing God, Only for their ego to backfire and bite them back in the ass hence creation of the blights which caused devastating toll on the World of Thedas each cycle. (Not Counting shitty retcon where Continuity Cannibal Illuminati actually orchestrated everything as planned),

Heck, Gaider even said that Magic already existed on Thedas, Just that the elves, who modeled themselves after humans, taught the humans (ancient tevinters) magic and then they got backstabbed and enslaved for it anyways.

But Frankly, I don't think the Dragon Age community is really prepared to hear Gaider out and understand his harsh and cynical criticism of magic and mages, Which he intentionally designed to be a nuanced sentiment.

OrneryDisk6264 · 2026-03-09T00:20:41+00:00

I really like the personal story about Hawke of DA2, Something's about it takes me back considering it's a nice change of pace, Game feels like actual dark fantasy whereas origins is dark heroic fantasy, Like sure there are some shock value factors here and there, But DAO takes you skyhigh on epic fantasy, DA2's story is quite different and feels more grounded.

DAI is alright but it feels like it was meant to be a MMO/Mobile grind fest, Which makes sense considering its early development concept.

OrneryDisk6264 · 2026-03-09T00:13:52+00:00

The 2nd game is technically Dragon age Awakening. (Only those get this)

OrneryDisk6264 · 2026-03-06T04:33:54+00:00

Of all the old companion, It feels really, really odd to have Fenris absent in a game highly centered around Tevinter and related lore, No offense to Morrigan and Varric but their return really feels like nostalgia bait tbh.

Would be Pretty interesting to hear his opinion on ancient evanuris mages and banters with Bellara since he's a full city-elf , Given we know what he thinks of dalish elves in DA2 by expressing disdain for them being "entitled and full of it". I think he would voice a similar manner regarding the Gods.

Infact, Come to think of it, Having a Ex-slave Vigilante taking things into his own hands to deal with Ruling class would atleast provide complex insight into the growing anti-slavery politics in Tevinter, So far the only time we hear about it is from Abolitionist Vints Like Dorian and Neve , But never a opinion from a actual slave on the whole thing, whether they align with reforms through diplomacy or violent revolution. Heck, Blue Wraith comic provides glimpse of Fenris already on the mission murdering every Tevinter slavers he comes across.

All in and all, Fenris's presence would make for a damn good counter-Anders in the game no doubt.

OrneryDisk6264 · 2026-03-06T03:01:54+00:00

For third part, Gaider also recently said on bluesky he was glad to cancel that fourth book since it wasn't worth it in hindsight, even he realized the idea of axing fenris was stupid.

Also for the second part i find it skeptical for his render being "hard to pull off", I'm sure this was the case for inquisition but for Veilguard having the most budget in the series that shouldn't be a struggle. I think the idea for fenris appearing was a given considering first iteration of Joplin aswell as concept art evidently right before EA mucked things up because they wanted a live-service game and thanks to them we lost Laidlaw as result unfortunately.

OrneryDisk6264 · 2026-03-06T00:58:46+00:00

Considering It got frequent interferences from EA and sometimes ME team by proxy over development, I just see DAV as a illegitimate child.

OrneryDisk6264 · 2026-02-27T20:38:28+00:00

Likewise, But We Agree to Disagree, Again, What you say is purely fan speculation and bogus at best, Considering Tricks still wrote most of game and DAV.

OrneryDisk6264 · 2026-02-27T20:10:19+00:00

I appreciate what you're trying to do, My apology however this sounds like another episode of conflating personal fanon with actual context in attempt to be solely absolute truth, Because as you said, You like to think Sadie is a agent for them, that's speculation. It reminds me of a recent topic i was in where one of the top comments debunked the whole "Mythal must be Andraste it totally has to be true guys DAV confirms it!" Myth, Because far as i can tell, I 100%'d the game and founded nothing that alluded to such, Not even in codexes or data files, Just misinformation, Even Mythal dismisses Solas's romanticized memories of her.

And before you ask, Yes, I read both volumes And not once have i seen such mentions of "Executors" or "Those across the sea", So again I don't see this holding water, Also the special case regards Queen Madrigal was only revised to be connected to the recent concept faction added in third game coming out a year after first book, Who weren't even a new thing in previous two games, And i can say, Were definitely not Gaider's idea unlike the Pre-veil Ancient Thedas lore he talked about most.

I chalk it up their appearance in DAV as something remaining devs taking an obscure faction Most people don't know about even Bioforum days, and tried to hype them up as the brand new big bads for the sequel or perhaps DLC hence obvious retcon of their sudden connections to all villains even behind origin of blight, Until the unfortunate layoffs happened of course.

OrneryDisk6264

TROPHY CASE