The origins in DA:O changed how characters/players interacted with the world. Context made you feel differently about places, quests, and people.  A random npc might incite joy or heartbreak or even a blinding rage in one warden, but to any other…it’s just another person.

I just…I guess it’s small details like that and just how much of a difference they made that I miss the most in DA2 and DA:I. 

Case in point: Playing through as anyone but Tabris first and releasing Vaughn because you didn’t know how much of a murdering, rapist shit-biscuit he really was and wondering why the hell you just lost some approval points with Zevran. 

to most, that dwarven merchant in Denerim is little more than a funny joke.

When I ran into him there on my very first, female Aeducan playthrough, I had to pause the game and get myself a glass of water, just so I wouldn’t start crying.

the ultimate satisfaction you get as a Cousland when killing arl howe; because that’s what you get for pulling a red wedding on my family, ya massive trashlord. 

Reblogging because yeah, Jowan for Surana/Amell. :(

The shriek attack is just a shriek attack if you’re anything but Mahariel

Picking the next dwarf king as a Brosca.

i literally just rbed this but AND ANOTHER THING the way your origin affects your opinion of Duncan is one of my all time fav parts of DAO and such a powerful instance of characterization changing with perspective thats so easily missed if you only play one origin

contrast my brosca feeling seen and respected by someone other than her sister for the first time in her life and feeling a deep gratitude and even love towards him VS my tabris hating his coward non-interventionist guts for doing next to nothing after she and the other women were abducted right in front of him… thats some 👌👌👌👌👌👌 character writing