3 replies to this topic

[Kulyok]

(Don't delete your DA2 post-campaign saves. Playing Legacy makes most sense after Act 2, when Hawke is 1) romanced; 2) Champion; 3) Leandra is dead and Carver is firmly anchored in the Wardens. And, interesting though Legacy may be, it's not worth replaying DA2. So keep your old saves).

In short: there're a lot of good things that can be said about Legacy, but one fundamentally bad thing: it's non-replayable. Unlike Watcher's Keep(that Legacy is probably based on), or A Golem in Honneleth, or even Origins, it's a one-time thing, just like DA2 campaign. You play it, you enjoy the finale(or not), turn off the computer - and that's it.

First of all, there's new artwork. It may seem repetitive, as the same textures are repeated in outdoor areas/indoor areas/dungeon areas, but it's new and pretty, with many combinations of pools, bridges and galleries. Even the loading screens are new, so it looks nice and refreshing.

Second, there's dialogue. Just like in Golems of Amgarrak, your companions comment on stuff often. Granted, sometimes they do it out of line. (In the beginning of the mod, outdoors, Carver: "Oh, Deep Roads!" Varric: "Damn. Deep Roads." Anders: "Maker, Deep Roads again!" my Hawke(doesn't see any Deep Roads anywhere): "Huh?") There are a few banters, too. Some are bugged: in one, Anders and Hawke discuss that Carver disappeared with the Wardens and doesn't write, whereas Carver's standing right there.

Romance content: next to none. Don't get your hopes up. I counted four basically single-line references: once Anders says something like "glad you're all right and those bad guys didn't get you"; once Varric quips that Hawke's not a virgin; once Anders calls Hawke "love". Also, there's this Varric-Anders banter where they suddenly start talking like teenage American schoolgirls from the 90's and say that Hawke is "pretty cute". Sigh. Next thing Anders will start singing "I Wanna Be A Supermodel".

I liked Hawke-Carver relationship(we were at "friendly" zone, though not all the way to 100% meter), but if you hoped that something will be revealed about the Hawke lineage, you're up for a disappointment. Malcolm Hawke worked for the Wardens and strengthened the enchantments for the seals that contained the Big Bad. And only Hawke blood can open the seals again. That's it, as simple as that.

Varric's small quest(find the dead son of a Paragon and say a dwarven prayer for him, or something) didn't work for me, either. I mean, look at the Origins codex for the Dead Caste, for an Admirable Topsider, for the Crosscut Drifters, hells, even at Darion's journal from Awakening. That's a story. In here, there was none. Find the journal pages 1,2,3, then find the body. Cut.

I was relieved to see that at level 18, I could play through casual difficulty without much trouble, but puzzles really pissed me off. In the past, you had to play through a puzzle to get some extra XP or treasure; here you have to complete a rather difficult puzzle just to move on to the next level! And to complete an even more complex puzzle to get the full set of armor for Hawke, the set that's scattered throughout the whole DLC! (I'm talking about connecting "beams of light" - one beam was okay, four was a bit too much). Seriously, it was a bummer.

And just like in DA2 itself, the finale was good. [SPOILER! Don't read if you haven't played!] It turns out that Chantry may be right after all: the Big Bad is one of the ancient magisters who entered the Golden City, a high priest of Dumat, the first archdemon, and who is now a corrupt talking darkspawn with awesome magical powers. Anders seemed really stricken by it, but to me it changed nothing: not all mages want to enter the Golden City, so Chantry shouldn't imprison every mage. Also, the magisters did not unleash the Blights: it was the Maker, a horrible bastard who started the entire thing with the darkspawn and Blights. I mean, the dwarves didn't even worship the Maker, what would THEY suffer for? Non-believing? Thank you very much.

By the way, I may be wrong, but I think that siding with Larius, a diseased former Warden, at the Final Seal(but not before) is not the best choice - you have to kill four good Grey Wardens, whose only crime is that they've been under the Big Bad's influence. If, on the other hand, you side with Janeka and make her kill Larius, you save the Wardens in the end, and Larius is far past his Calling, anyway.

Also, if no Grey Warden could approach the Big Bad because of the Big Bad's hypnotic calling, how come Anders(who had difficulty resisting the call two levels earlier) and Carver, both Grey Wardens, killed the Big Bad so easily? That's a huge plothole, I think.

(And Anders's moment of "I can't do it anymore, let me turn into Justice, unleash a couple of shades and call Hawke "love" so she'd kill me, and then I'll rise again, good as new" was just silly. Don't you think?)

By the way, here's one moment that made BG2's Watcher's Keep better than DA2's Legacy: items. In BG2, finding items felt good. There were halberds, swords, armor details, and each had its unique item icon. Here, it's just some amulets and belts and they all look the same.

I said before that Legacy is non-replayable. I think there's more. There's no room for empathy here. It's a good product, a solid one, with a plot and a setting and some people, but no characters make you love them or hate them or pity them(except maybe that Carta dwarf, Varric's former friend). There's a plot, but there's no story. There're people, but no characters. Hawke does not go through emotional choices, and neither do her companions.

So, bottom line: I'd recommend to play it once, but I wouldn't keep your hopes up.

[Eleima]

Thanks for a solid, extensive, review of this DLC, Kulyok. I was a bit on the fence about this one, as I've put down DA2 a few weeks back, and couldn't muster the enthusiasm to dig it up again. You give great info about all the plot holes and bugs, and I think it'll be a pass for me.

[Aeryn]

I pretty much agree with most of that, though I've played it more than once (to see the banters and interactions) and I think it has some replay value. I was disappointed by the puzzles, but only because they were easier than I expected when I first saw them. Especially the torches - you only have to touch two and it's solved? Really? At least the pillars made me stop and think.

MAJOR SPOILERS!!!



BioWare has once again managed to suck me into the abyss of apathy by making the "consequences" of our decisions mean absolutely NOTHING to the end game result. Whether you side with Larius or what's-her-name, it's obvious that Corypheus has possessed them after he "dies." (And of course Hawke is too stupid to recognize it and can't do a damned thing about it.) I understand the need to direct the narrative in a certain direction, especially when things cross over from multiple games, but is it so much to ask that Hawke be allowed to avert disaster just once?? *sigh*


END SPOILER

What I enjoyed the most were the little things - getting to spend more time with Carver/Bethany, seeing the new banters (some of which are bugged, but overall are very entertaining), hunting for new baddies and loot. The big battles were lots of fun, especially the one at the end. All of the Anders related stuff just made me like him less - sorry, not a fan of DA2 Anders - and once more had me questioning why my particular Hawkes would ever associate with him.

[Vicen]

Played through it with both my rogues...I like how the key can be any weapon...even a bow haha!

Also the banters with Aveline and Isabela were quite good...but man the stupid ai walking around the final battle is so annoying...I could of easily beaten it on hard with my 2nd play through if my companions were not stupid and could run and walk out of the flames!

Ah well...Surprising enough the warden scout armor is better then the champions armor, at least for me at lvl 27...Bringing Bethany along was also kinda cool...

Regardless...you get some good loot and exp...At first I though it was worth the 10 bucks...but now I would say to either wait on it if your not a huge DA2 fan till its on sale somewhere...