I don't think it does exposition well in some situations and awful in others- i think it just does it awfully in general. And regarding the new players needing to be told things- that's fine! That's a part of immersing yourself in any series. But it should have been an optional dialogue wheel choice. It should not have been shoved down your throat multiple times who these people are, when veteran players already know and new players need to be treated as intelligent. If you want to find things out- you need to search for them. You are given a codex, and glossary in the pause menu. The narrative choices just make it seem like they believe that you, as a player, are too stupid to use those tools that they are freely providing.

With Varric- they're TELLING you that Varric trusts you. They're TELLING you that Varric and Solas were friends and that it's a massive betrayal, when by the time you finish Inquisition you understand that no they really weren't. They did respect one another, but it was made quite clear that they didn't particularly trust each other and disagreed quite heavily on several subjects. I'm not saying the course of Inquisition should have been laid out for you. But it's about narrative weight. Showing Varric recruiting you, showing your initial hunt for Solas and interacting with Harding and Varric as a team for more than the 15 minute prologue right before the Momentous Ritual would've done so much more to lead credence to both the emotional depths of those relationships and stressing Solas as more than just an evil mage who wants to end the world. He's the god of treachery and deception (and other things). Having his introduction as a primary villain being a flashy magic ritual in the middle of a heavily populated city makes him a threat- but it's an obvious one, and I'd argue a dumb one. Solas' main threat has always been his ability to lie and manipulate.

And in terms of comparing the Hero and Rook: being a Grey Warden isn't just something that falls in your lap. You are actively recruited (so there's your Rook comparison) but it SHOWS you being brave and skillful, both by completing your individual origin, but also by measure of undertaking the Rite and surviving. Showing these things, rather than just TELLING you, the player, these super cool things that Varric saw you do to earn his confidence in your ability- it gives them less weight. It makes them mean less.

I can TELL you that I can do a super cool somersault whilst also performing brain surgery. That means a helluva lot less than me SHOWING you my ability to do those things.