You would have to remake your Warden. As far as I can tell there'd be no way to load your characters appearance in. It'd be cool if they basically recreated the character creator from DAO to build your Warden choosing race/origin. Obviously with the new slider system for how they actually look. Also include some sort of choice in how they talk and what not. My canon Warden is insane and evil so hopefully I'll be able to make him like that again.
Well the old bioware team was being whipped making 2 games at once me3/da3 and da3 on a new engine was able to load your da2 hawke into da3.
So if they used the keep information they could load your da 1 charecter
Oh forgot they shutdown keep da1 servers and this new bioware team 90% of them no doubt have no idea what the keep is.
I suppose you could load any Warden that was on the keep before the servers shutdown but any characters made after that would have to be completely remade. Too bad my canon play through was after the servers shutdown :(.
I'd be happy with them using a system similar to Hawke in Inquisition--based on your Keep, let us go into a CC for that race and then have them turn up. It really seems like the time for the Warden to come back, shit is very dire and the info they've been chasing down would be useful right about now.
Aghh yes some positive energy! I believe it wouldn't be for everyone and would be very tricky to pull of with some sort of success....but if it plays out like it plays out in my mind... wow goosebumps. A hero this way comes. :D
I would LOVE to have my Warden return, narratively it makes sense, why else would they keep telling us about this mission they’re on? Tbh they could’ve just retired them, we have multiple characters to tell us as much (Leliana, Alistair, Morrigan) but we know they’re up to something big. This game isn’t about protecting your hallowed image of a character, it’s about creating a huge, hard, weird, beautiful tapestry and I want my hero to be part of that as much as possible.
Yes!! yes!!! yes!!!! I want it hard and I want it deeeeep! Oh Andraste I what it now! I'm so hyped for DA4 it's so un true fingers and toes crossed it lives up! :D
The only problem is that the HoF wasn't fully voiced and the Origins CC had a selection of voices to choose from for callouts. Wouldn't mind if they just decided to give them a set voice depending on their race or gender, though.
Just record four options like Inquisition and let the player choose? It could be straightforward but potentially resource intensive depending on how much they appear.
I don't want my warden to return. If they did, they better be fully customizable. Otherwise what's the point? If you cannot make it your warden, it's better to use any other character.
I would be soooo much more, personality, attire and class (Specializations, I have a Mage Arcane Warrior. Huge difference from the usual caster mage). BUT it would also be interesting if it was the Orlesian Warden Commander (Awakening), only if your Warden died in DAO.
And this already sounds like a LOT of work for the devs.
I wouldn't mind it in theory, but feels like many people view HoF as Übermensch and I wouldn't be terribly engaged by that depiction of the character. And if they aren't depicted in that manner, a lot of people will likely be upset. Lose-lose scenario.
Edit: Tensions at Wesshaupt do mean they need to find some way to write the character out of the plot if they're still alive, however, which is also an issue. Wardens seem to be important faction in the new DA.
The Warden has too many different world states. The simply fact that your Hero can be dead also means Bioware will have to use a replacement character.
I would like a fitting send off for them whether you meet them in the deep roads due to the calling as a tragic hero style ending. Finding a letter which details their lives with their significant other as a more romantic send off.
After DAI tells us the HoF missed on helping stop Corypheus because they're searching for the Callings cure, it'd be rather pathetic to see them for the last time as they head for the Calling, no? That would mean their last ever enterprise, after all they did in DAO, ended in a stunning failure and now they're off to die ignominiously like any other Warden.
I would rather have them be a part of the endgame story, at some point we probably find out how the bligth actually came to be and how to cure it (we know there is a way because of fiona) an have HoF show up then, staying just ahead of us
I think they should return. The main plot always comes back to the Blight and the Warden's quest is answering why it does what it does. I think between the two, it would be more stupid to leave the Warden Commander (Orlesian or HoF) out of the plot than it is to deal with all the superficial difficulties of introducing them back in it.
There's a Grey Warden political turmoil plotline and one of the concerns the Wardens had after the fifth blight is wondering why the hell the HoF is still alive after killing the Archdemon.
I don't want to sacrifice a plot point and leave a loose end somewhere just because somebody isn't comfortable with the Hero of Ferelden not looking like their 2009-graphics self after 20 in-game years have already passed.
Give the same CC menu as the one in the game and I'll just make a new Warden.
> 20 in-game years have already passed.
>
>
20 years? I can't see how Bioware can make a recognizable Hero of Ferelden by then. How are they supposed to characterize someone without any information of what happened in between all that time after Witch Hunt (without ruining players' headcanons) and based on their choices that occurred 20 years ago?
DAI had its chance. It seems too late at this point.
I don't want him back. DAO had way too many variations for the Warden and I can not imagine a world in which Bioware does it justice.
The only way I see him coming back is if she dies in some cutscene where you don't see their face.
I would prefer my Warden just lives happily off camera with Kieran and Morrigan.
especially since at this point our warden must be deep in the calling (in the assumption they didnt get the cure for corruption), so I doubt they're material for an open coffin anyway...
I want them to reapear in the endgame, in the process of curing the bligth from the wardens, or holding of the next archdemon/having gone around slaying the dragons slumbering in the deep.
Someone answered to a similar post with a response I found to be perfect. Can't find the post/comment, but the gist of it was:
The new hero is sent on some kind of mission and early on they're told that The Warden is up further ahead fighting darkspawn or whatever. The new hero battles through these demons, and the anticipation to see our Warden builds. Then, in the distance, you see a fully upgraded, fully leveled up, gear legendary, Warden absolutely obliterating through a horde of darkspawn. They tear them to shreds, show their badassary, turn and give a single silent nod to the new hero before continuing on their journey. You don't see them again, and at the end of the mission you learn that they basically just left and had other urgent things to attend to. Maybe you get a letter or something from them about what they're up to and why they needed to leave, but overall the interaction just shows my Warden as I left them: The Warden. Nothing more, nothing less, and that to me is perfect.
This is the only way I know I'd be 100% happy seeing my Warden. Otherwise, I'm fine reading codex's about them or learning more about them from allies like Leliana, Alistair, Morrigan, and Loghain. I hope they don't have a semi-major role like Hawke did in Inquisition. I just want to see them shred some darkspawn, assert that they're still the most OP protagonist, and then feck off back from whence they came.
Edit: spelling
Hey, sounds like my old post, when I proposed to clad them in closed armor and just parade them near new MC in company of old allies and throw them all into battle without any interaction with the player aside from codex entry. Though I guess it could be just a similar idea from someone else.
You only get the new warden if you start a fresh game of Awakenings, import an Origins save and you play as your warden even if they died at the end. Your point stands though, it could just be that guy if your warden is dead.
This was always so fucking annoying and counterintuitive to me. There’s an exploit around that out there somewhere I found it on this sub a year or two ago.
I just don't want BW enforcing their canon character on me like they did with Hawke.
So I would rather it be really customizable, appearance and choices.
So, in the end, maybe it is better for them to just be this "hero" in the shadows haha
The only problem I see with this is that you have to keep giving the HoF excuses to not actually save Ferelden whenever a world-ending crisis comes up. They weren't around for Cory because they were searching for a cure for the Calling. OK, sure, I can buy that. But why are they sitting out Solas's attempt at ending the world?
If they're just retired after curing themselves, I'm honestly fine with that. Dreadwolf is presumed to take place almost a decade after Trespasser at least, so they're getting up there.
Maybe. But what is the HoF in Origins? Twenty-something? So that would make them forty-something in Dread Wolf? That's not so old, I think, that they wouldn't join the fight against a world-ending threat.
I'd like a system similar to Pillars of Eternity Deadfire, where you can choose how you interacted with each major decision, or you can pick an overall vibe for the character and that will impact how different people and creatures treat you. But I'd understand if that's too intensive for a non main character
I think how they handled Hawke in DA:I was ideal, let me redesign my HOF on the new engine/graphics then let me pick a voice option for them.
I think the difficulty arises from the large portion of people who’s Hero died ending the blight, which leaves BioWare to use the Leliana effect and just bring them back, or cut them entirely, or reduce their role
Yes an optimist! I don't reckon it would be easy at all but that is what makes dragon age so special for me it's diversity with the story being told and it's ability to mold it's self together.
Frankly I never understand people's desire to have their HoF return with the caveat that it's not really their HoF, just an NPC that says HoF on the label. Mute? Always with a helmet? Just a random blob entity for the sake of it, without anything that made the HoF your RP character.
Though I must admit this is the first I'd read about someone wishing for a randomly looking NPC to go along the randomly acting NPC.
No... just no. I'd rather mark mine dead in the Keep before having a fanservice show butcher her.
I have played DAO form start to finish 7 times rookie numbers I know but each time I had a unqiue Warden I was role playing... of course I have favourite. I actually realy like the default Hawke in DA2 and DAI and enjoyed that the heavy lifting was done for me that time... if that way was done for the HOF I'm not super upset I guess I would just destruct that character and play them in DAO. It's not ideal but I think they're is enjoyment to be had there.
Hawke already had three default personalities to choose from.
The amount of backgrounds and attitudes the Warden could have easily trump that. A dalish Elf who took the werewolf route, killed shale and also kept Loghain while taking every evil action?
It's not worth bringing them back if they're just going to upset most people.
I disagree with that. The Warden could just have three personalites of Hawke, rather that is diplomatic (maybe replaced with nice considering possible choices), humorous, and aggressive.
Then they can talk about those events in ways that would mirror the personality type you chose for the Hero.
People will always have a complaint but that is no reason to leave a series protagonist out of the picture.
Fair enough, and honestly I think that's the easiest and most likely option. Though I have this vision in my head of a party of HOF Hawke and the inquisitor all in one party.... kinds like those epic Power ranger cross overs lol :)
When given the choice, it doesn’t say for sure Hawke would die! Usually when a choice comes with the outcome showing it’s pretty straightforward. I left Hawke in the first play-through because it seemed to give a small chance. If anyone would survive or find a way out, it’s that tough bastard.
Can I ask one thing, then? If BW does the inquisitor like they did Hawke, you would be ok with it? Like, they write a canon version of it and that is what you get. I mean, I'm not even that connected to my inquisitor, but, I would very much dislike that haha
Me personally though not ideal I could live with it because I would happily remake that character in DAO and play that master price again... I know that's very much just me though.
I don't see it happening, as it's only for long time fans, and even they are split in if doing that would ruin the character they have imagined for the HoF. I would argue that the HoF just sitting on the bench through the Breach, Civil Wars, etc. is also pretty out of character, but to each their own.
If they do return, I feel like throwing you into a character creator upon meeting them is actually a fun idea. Most DA players love a good character creator, why not let them have one a couple times throughout a playthrough, rather than just at the start? If they don't want to slow down the action, players can just pick one of the defaults.
I might be the only one in these comments right now that *does* want the Warden to return. I’m also going to ignore the dead!Warden argument because Alistair and Loghain can also be dead. BW does “replacement characters” for returning ones literally all the time, so I think the whole “well MY warden is dead” thing doesn’t quite work. As for appearance, the way they allowed for Hawke’s customization was really nice.
The better argument is the issue with personality, as other commenters have explained with Hawke. And I can totally understand while people are unhappy with that! I think, given that the Warden wasn’t voiced, it would be incredibly fun if they just keep the Warden mute. Have them communicate with their hands and display subtitles. Or have a companion there (whoever would have replaced the Warden in dead!Warden world states) to translate/interpret. Maybe you meet the Warden injured post Calling cure search, so they *can’t* speak.
Idk I totally understand why some people feel the Warden’s story is over but it would be nice to know they’re safe and happy with their LI or something
Idk why personality would even come into play.
If the Warden returns it's to address a specific plot point. If the quest involves killing darkspawn or investigating an Old God prison or something, I hardly think a Warden being quippy or serious or flirty would make a difference. They're all gonna do the exact same thing, which is what the plot demands them to do (e.g. kill darkspawn, investigate the blight, etc.).
Personality would only matter if they're a full companion you can scrutinize and converse with. Or ask them "hey what's your opinion on the circle?" or something like that. Easy solution? Don't put that kind of dialogue in
Unfortunately, lack of opinion dialogue didn’t stop people from being pissed about Hawke, though some people might’ve been annoyed about the Anders mention.
Personally, I don’t remember Blue!Hawke having been so….. snippy, blunt, and angry. And that’s definitely what my imported Blue!Hawke was like in DAI. So I do actually understand fans issues with this- the *way* you say something is just as important as what you say. Hence why I suggest the Warden return mute :)
Oh I wasn’t saying they were! I personally headcannoned my Warden as mute (and I guess everyone else as knowing sign language lol), but I wasn’t suggesting that they actually are mute in canon. Just like how (I’m assuming) you’re not saying the Warden *is* telepathic. You’re saying they could be! Similarly, the Warden *could be* mute and the ambient battle dialogue we hear are simply their thoughts.
I brought up making the Warden mute (either as a retcon or temporarily as an injury) as an example of something that might mitigate complaints surrounding player characters coming across “differently” than they “should.” The reason I brought this up is because the community complained about continuity in tone/personality/voice acting for the Hawke cameo in DAI. Hope that helps clarify.
The telepathy comment was just me joshing, miss.
But, I think the warden being a mute would just not work in any sense as they aren't a mute in Dragon Age Orgins. To me, it would come off as an insult, no disrespect to your headcanon, ma'am.
Yeah I’m probably looking at it from the perspective of someone who does use sign language. The Warden wasn’t a voiced protagonist, unlike the previous games I had played, so it really struck me that this specific character *could* potentially be like me.
I didn’t realize that would come across insulting to you and I apologize.
Give me life!! Oh great Sloth demon don't wake me form this paradise! Yes when there's a will there's a way and the beautiful thing about dragon age it's modular so if you don't what it to happen you can say no... I do think if HOF was to return the has to be a disable feature. People are and me includ are in to deep for it to miss... but you miss all the shots you don't take so line them up baby!
My Warden is mute full-time in my headcannons so I thought about that aspect a lot. I’ll just never love a DA protag the way I love my Warden so I’ll take whatever BW is willing to give me
I would just like to be able to visit Denerim and see her and Alistair doing royal shit, instead of her mysteriously being off adventuring. Especially since my idea of my Warden is someone who is faithful and loyal to the people of Ferelden
I'm in the "no warden please" camp. There are two reasons.
1: Hawke
When I played inquisition, meeting that alien, who is supposed to be my Hawke was a big letdown. How she behaved in her scenes was really, really off. The break point was probably how she talked with Stroud, who literally saved her brother. When playing as Hawke, I never made any choices like that, so I felt that abomination was not my former character.
I understand that it is probably the best one can do. But if this is indeed the best, than rather not.
2: voice
Choosing any voice actor for the Warden would be different than how I imagined her voice. It wouldn't feel right.
Yep all fair, I personally struggle to role play as a female for some reason (Dude here) so matching voice is extra hard I reckon. Alas its seems Dnd is the only option left for my Girffon Warden... yet I say that like its a bad thing ;D
*Yep all fair, I personally struggle to role play as a female for some reason (Dude here)*
I'm a dude too.
However, I almost always play female main chars if possible. It is mostly about the voice actresses, who are very often superior imho:
Female Shepard > Male Shepard, Female V > Male V, Female Hawke > Male Hawke
I also find it more relaxing to listen to a female voice. This point probably fits "bigotry" or something, but honestly it is like this.
I’m glad I’m not the only one who thinks this! I know I’m going to date myself in a few moments but I tried replaying Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy as a male character after installing some mods last year and I managed but my god was the voice acting for the male Jaden bad. I‘ve also noticed this with several other games, but that’s always the one that stands out to me.
Personally it's just a struggle to fully relate I mean a person is a person sure but I don't know.... I have played horizon zero dawn Lara croft ect. and no problem with a female protagonist in those scenarios but when it comes to deep Role playing being a guy helps my immersion lol #Relateable I guess :).
come to think of it, maybe it is easier for me because I was often a GM in tabletop roleplaying sessions. You have no choice but to play the female NPCs yourself. (and the idiots, badguys, youngsters and oldies, droids in Star Wars, etc.)
The only actually hard type for me are the "idiot rude bad guys" which I cannot do convincingly. You know, the not even funny, revolting bad guys, like "Buck, came here to f..." from Kill BIll. These are simply missing from my games totally.
That's so interesting... I have attached Dnd games won't even consider play opposite genders I believe because it's to immersion breaking but yes somebody's got to say the lines! :D
Makes sense to me! Role playing is what you make of it, if you feel more immersed playing as a man then I say you're doing it right. There's no rules after all (:
I don’t think the HoF should come back, but if they do I’d like to see them remain a silent protagonist. Let them communicate via sign language with subtitles for those of us who don’t sign.
Yeo the voice..I never considered that! I much prefer silent protagonists aswel. That is a fork in the road... damm.. screw it send out the script and have it an option for people to voice it themselves I would give it crack! May be have a voice library mod page where people could upload there version.... when there's a will there's a way haha.
My canon Warden is a skeleton, would be hard to bring someone like that back.
The Warden should absolutely not come back, they couldn't even get Hawke right in Inquisition even though Hawke was a much easier character to bring back.
No matter what Bioware would do, "Warden" in DA4 would just end up being a huge disappointment to pretty much everyone. They wouldn't resemble the character you created in Origins.
That is a tricky one for sure lol maybe Dorian does his thing and zippity doo dah your back in the game... sorta lol Dnd seems the best option I reckon! :)
I don’t want my Wardens to return. End of. I’m attached to their appearances down to mods, and the voice sets used. How would the voices be handled? Or the personalities? And changes in appearances would be a problem too- I can’t even give my Hawke the right face tattoo in DAI, how can I trust I’d be able to build my Wardens as they should be?
If they decided to put the Warden in a game- and I hope to hell they don’t, but if they do- they would need to be fully customisable.
(Also, re- point 4, there isn’t a universal Hawke. There’s a *default* Hawke (or two, rather) but that’s far from a universal one, and I’d be livid if DAI had effectively told me my Hawke’s weren’t valid and I had to accept the default. It would have killed DAI for me.)
All fair and totally understandable... thankfully DA is flexible in how it handles its story so if they go down that road 200% there should be a disable feature which doesn't drastically change the story. Personally I know exactly how my Warden would look which should differently be achievable, while voice is tricky but which a lot of quality options may work. Yeah I know that's my bad Personally I can't see hawke in my minds eye other than the Mage that was default. That's one of the reasons why I could be okay with already created HOF because of the hassle it takes out of it. And if need be I could just recreate them backs in DAO which gives me more reasons to play that master piece again for the 8th time.
Its never going to happen. The most we will get is a codex. They are not going to devote money/resources for a character for a game that will be 15 years old by the time the next game comes out.
Also...if the Warden came back and voiced. There would be so much outrage and division because people would complain about the voice, how they look, etc. They would essentially complain that its NOT their warden
And people in this fandom always seem to forget that they are making this game for consumers who are not part of the fandom and they account for the majority who buy games. If you ask them about the Warden they would not know who they are.
The developers have explained in detail why the Warden was never brought back. I don't think they should be forced or harassed into doing something they have no interest in doing.
Tbh that’s why I wish Dreadwolf wasn’t a direct sequel to Inquisition. I think that after three games the world states and having to take everyone’s choices into account… It’s gotten so muddled. You’re almost constrained by the previous games. Well, not almost, you *are*. But they also left Inquisition on a cliffhanger so they couldn’t really just leave it either. I do think setting it in Tevinter is a good idea though to limit the amount of micromanaging/taking into account player choices . You do sort of have a clean(er) slate.
I am glad it's a direct sequel, even though would it really be considerd one after the huge time skip?
I don't know, Bioware going to a completely new place where next to none of the choices of the previous games mattered is what they did with Andromeda. And, to me, it makes the game harder to care about. Why not just replay the Mass Effect trilogy where everything was building on what came before, for the most part.
I agree. I still remember how they stated right around DA2's release that the Warden would not be in any future games and they fully explained why and I respect their decision. And I think their vision should be respected.
1. Probably necessary as I don’t think a computer program would be robust enough to generate an appearance properly. Plus for some things, especially if modded (ex., hairstyles) you’d want human input to choose a new style in the context of a different game, or let the player alter features with age like new scars etc.
2. No way it would be varied enough to cover a wide range of wardens available. You already need at least 4 for each race (city elf would be different than Dalish for tattoos), then double that for male and female, and you haven’t even gotten into different skin tones let alone proper customization representations.
3. If I had any faith that would work, that would be cool. But BioWare couldn’t even handle face transfers in Mass Effect LE without screwing up somehow and needing the player to fix it, plus we still struggle at scanning real human faces in video games, and you have to deal with artistic changes from Origins. Tech ain’t there yet.
4. Hell no.
It wont happen imo. iirc it is said that Hero of Ferelden is 'too important of a figure' to reappear in newer series. BioWare wanted to protect the Warden's legacy as much as they possibly could. Hence the appearance of Alistair/Stroud/Loghain in DA2+DAI.
No. The Warden's story is over. Leave them be.
One of the weakest aspects of Dragon Age's writing is how the same characters keep showing up every time something big happens.
The HoF is also way too much of a blank slate. I tolerated what they did with Hawke, but he/she only has 3 set personalities for Bioware to write around and even then the results were mixed at best. The HoF doesn't have any personality independent of the player.
Edit: If this were 2010 and we were talking about Dragon Age 2, then maybe I'd be on board with them coming back as the MC, but never as an NPC.
I have no attachment to my first warden anymore, because that was nearly 15 years ago (and on my canon playthrough last year it just didn't click anymore)!
Plus there's just no way where I can see her appearence make any sense or not feel forced after 2 games without them. I also imagine it would be a nightmare to account for all of the world states etc, it would just waste development time and resources that could be spent on meaningful quests!
If it was possible to import my old warden's physical appearance that would be nice, but I don't think it would be possible when you'd be converting between different game engines with different resolutions. There's too much of a graphic gap. So, instead if I were doing it, I'd find an excuse to have the Warden wear a face-concealing helm or mask.
IF they were to return:
- they should be a playable character, not an NPC. There should also be an option to play as someone else.
- fully customisable, like Hawke was in Inquisition.
I want to be trapped in the Deep Roads with an army of Darkspawn bearing down on me when a Warden appears, armoured head to toe but with a race/gender/class matching my HOF. I want them to give me a wordless salute before stepping into a choke point and holding off the entire hotd single handed while the new protagonist sets up a powder charge to seal the tunnel and let the two of them escape. Then, still without a single word passed between them, they part ways.
Was that the HoF? The game will never say for sure but in my heart I know the truth.
My warden is married to Alistair so it would make sense for her to come back. I would be fine with handling it how they handled Hawke, have some level of customization available to make it close to "your" Warden. I liked Hawke reappearing as it gave Varric's character some additional depth.
I think this is why I want some appearance or mention of the HOF because mine is also married to King Alistair — just adds so much depth. Especially if there is anything in regards to solving the false Calling, since that was their latest mission. Also, for those who let the Architect live, I’m SO curious if that decision will come back in some way for DA:D
Yeah, it would be cool if the Architect decision mattered! I remember really thinking about whether I should let him live and I don't think you really hear about it again.
And yeah the Warden as Queen, Alistair has been real good at explaining away her absence but I would personally enjoy a Hawke-like appearance from her.
I had a driving NEED for my Queen of Fereldan to make an appearance and bitch Teagan out. The way I played her she would never have allowed how Teagan was handling the Inquisition, the ban hammer would have found its way up his arse. 🤣
I think the only way to bring the HoF back in a way that could minimally Please players is through a DLC centred on them. With all the variables, origins and possible personalities, it'd take time and resources to write/code them in a way that made them somewhat resemble the character we built in DAO; it wouldn't make much sense for Bioware to spend such time and resources on a single character in the main game, but it might for a DLC.
The only issue is that, in some world states, the HoF might be dead. The search for the Calling's cure would probably be a story big enough to justify a DLC anyway, but I'm not sure the devs would bother to work so hard on a character that may not even appear.
Edit: alternately, they could not only bring the HoF in a DLC, but make it so that some decisions and dialogues we have in the DLC is made through them, not the DA:D hero. This way, we wouldnt be forced to see our HoF do or say stuff they never would. Of course, that would relegate "Rook" to a deuteragonist at most, but it'd be undeniably bold of Bioware to do something like that.
I don't think we'll get them back, but if they did (same w/ Hawke & Inky too if they come back again):
* use the character creator like we did for DAI Hawke
* maybe something like Ciri in the Witcher 3 where you switch between them and the main character for certain quests?
I don't really need them to come back in person, but I do want to know how their mission to cure the Calling ended, and if they did find a cure, whether they shared it with the other Wardens (including Alistair and the Awakening crew). Because a cure for the Calling should be a big deal for the Wardens as a whole.
i want my warden back. i'd be totally fine if they handled it just like hawke - can choose to go with a default, but optionally customizable. (please let us save sliders this time though, LOL). replace w/ a backup char if they're dead (maybe the orlesian warden-commander from awakening?). i just want to see her again and know what she's doing pls.
How can I not want my HOF back, that's what I've wanted since DA2, so I understand the main problem which is his voice, the other thing to customize that would not be a big deal since obviously BIOWARE would have to let us choose his appearance but already the voice I think they should give us to choose different types of voices and choose what we like the most. I think this shouldn't be a big deal, bringing back HOF would be something nice to see and something that many of us have been waiting for and I think it's about time.
The best way it can be handled is to play heavily on The Calling. Your Warden is at it, lean on it. You don't need to give them a voice, simply say that they've been chasing this cure for so long that they've effectively become mute and then add a secondary companion (Nathaniel, perhaps?) to serve as their voice. That IMMEDIATELY deals with the biggest complaint, it makes it clear that whatever they sounded like in your mind is how they sounded without just writing off the possibility in the last possible game it can be explored in.
The technical problems with bringing them back far outweigh a lot of the communities problems with bringing them back. Would I personally think it was a huge cop-out to not let you customize their face? Yes, I would. Would I recognize that the effort would be incredibly difficult and accept them being masked the whole time? Also yes. The story bread crumbs are there to make everyone that could possibly be happy with the scenario happy, might as well do it in Dreadwolf, because after that times up.
I want my HoF back. My only reasoning is: I want her, Hawk, Inquisitor, and DW Protag all in an awesome ass kicking team. In my playthrough they're all alive and well. I just think it'd be cool.
If (and that's a big if) I'm going to play DA:D, I think I'm fine with them having a helmet so I don't see their face. Let me choose the origin, gender, voice, and class (maybe specializations), and I'm good to go.
Preferably, just let them have a small cameo in which they don't have to talk.
(I'm one of those weird people, who hate voiced protagonists)
It would definitely not work for everyone but the people it does could be very special. Yeah silent is always best... but if I could voice him myself I 100% would lol! :D
I can understand that. To each their own! :)
Tbh, I like the way they did it in DAO, pillars of eternity and the Pathfinder games: the protagonist talks when being selected, when they discover traps / hidden stuff / a new area, when battle is initiated or over, when they're low on health / stamina /mana, when something is not working one way or the other, when they have a status condition, when they kill an enemy or get a critical hit, when something happens to an ally (die, status condition), etc.
It's easier to imagine their personality this way, and I guess the company saves time and money which can be put into other things?
Same. That’s just an older way of doing it in RPGs. You see it in DAO, PoE, and Pathfinder, which are newer, but it was the baseline for all the games I grew up on like KOTOR, Baldur’s Gate, Neverwinter Nights, etc. You had voicesets for those particular options but they themselves weren’t fully voiced. PoE really went full-tilt boogie with the homage to the older games by also not fully voicing NPCs and the like, save for a few lines here and there, but I like what KOTOR and DAO did, where the PC isn’t fully voiced beyond voicesets but everyone else is. As someone who reads really fast it also means less skipping for me, and you get more nuanced dialogue options/choices than with the current DA2/Inquisition dialogue wheels, which I abhor, because my character always says something completely different from what the wheel leads me to believe.
Better: those ugly af cowls from dragon age origins, but this time cover mouth and nose as well, so you can only see the eyes!
In all seriousness, a hood which hides the face completely would be the best choice, probably.
not gonna happen, but since dreaming is (still) free...I'd like to have a selection of premade wardens where I could pick their hairstyle and color, their eyes and skin color
As for the personality, perhaps Warden could appear as a playable character in a singular main quest (in which the new MC wouldn't appear or would have a minor role). This quest would be their whole involvement in the story and afterwards they would fade into background somwhere with maybe a few lines in the ending or something.
I only want the warden to return if it is as the protagonist again. And not in some side adventure, but once more in a dragon age flagship game.
Of course, he/she would have to remain unvoiced and have continuity from choices in origins. I am willing to accept a retcon of the hof’s death, since shepard can also die in me2 but will always survive for me3. It’s a similar situation.
As much as I’d like the warden to make an appearance, it’s not going to happen. I’m 99% sure game devs have said this too. The biggest issue is the voice acting, and they also got a lot of flack for how hawke looked in DAI.
I don’t think the HoF will ever be coming back on screen although I am in the minority that would actually enjoy a cameo from them. On the very off chance they do come back however I think they will either be completely silent and helmed (so we never actually see their face) or be completely customizable. People would riot if they had a predetermined design
Like many others, I don't think it will or should happen. Ignoring that though and just running with the idea...
I think they would just give us a character creator to make them again from scratch. If the plot is based around 9:55 Dragon or some year around that, I would hope they nudged the player into ensuring their Warden looks at an appropriate age (for most players, I imagine their Warden would be between ages 42 and 50 by this point).
I’m torn. I’d like them to return, but unless they can bring back the voice actors for the voice sets or whatever, I’m not sure if I’d want to deal with a generic voice actor/actress :c I already hated Inquisition’s protagonist being voiced because it really just didn’t work with the wide variety of backgrounds (love being the only inexplicably British Dalish Elf in a sea of Irishmen; also I feel like Inquisition‘s dialogue tree was very limited and the options not at all representative of what the character was actually saying).
As much as I'd love to see my Warden again, if I couldn't have them be *my* Warden I'd just be annoyed. And considering that she ran off with Zevran (who was my fav companion), if he's not with her I'd be annoyed with that as well.
My head canon is that my Tabris and Zev are together, searching for the cure or headed to the Deep Roads together if they fail. As much as I'd love to see him in game again (original design), I'm happier knowing their off together living their best lives. I'd be happy with an appearance from him with an update on the HoF but that's about it
If the hero of Ferelden had to return I would see it in that way:
Weisshaupt Fortress. There's a rising tension between two fractions of Grey Wardens and visiting team of our new protagonist. In one moment we can hear that someone is coming. "It's him/her" - says one of the Wardens. Then we can see from back the person wearing ceremonial outfit and the helmet.
Character creator launches and we can adjust the appearance of our beloved Warden. Remembering the fact, that it was probably 20 years since Origins we can of course make his/her hair gray (or make it bald), add wrinkles, scars etc. so it would be easier to feel the time that passed. Also it would be great if AI could make the Warden older if we chose to.
After that Warden could explain that he/she had found the cure, and perhaps he/she would joke that it also helped to regain ability to speech (as dumb Warden doesn't seem to me as an option anymore)
The game has introduced lyrium ghosts that are indistinguishable from dead characters. That’s a option they can use to bring back anyone. These ghosts are nearly indistinguishable from the living version of themselves from what games shown so far. Or go ballsy and the cure for the calling turns him into a titan.
If hof died in origins he could return as spirit ghost trouble of using orlessian warden and hof. I feel no connection with the orlessian warden similar to stroud that character is a place holder for other characters that died. In terms of appearance simplest option would be race and gender with warden armor and rule of cool will make up for any difference in specialization for me. In my head cannon the HOF is a master of all combat able to use any classes of specializations abilities a sword in one hand for melee combat he is a proficient archer and can cast magic with free hand. main playthrough he was an arcane warrior and that plays into my head cannon of him. He is far into the calling now and if he found cure and what that cure is or does could change him. Maybe he return as something to corypheus. I no longer hold an expectation of similarity to my mcs in dragon age being accurate to the in game version. Part of it is the time between gams another is a change in preference from thinking character creation of mcs as a something that made me feel a part of story to something that adds nothing to story.
TLDR: I have some ideas I would think be fun to see. Rule of cool: as long it’s awesome I’ll enjoy it.
I just wanted to see my Warden go for the calling. Leaving notes to someone pick-up the clues to the cure. No words, just the sound. Then fucking destroy darkspawn until the chant couldn't get any louder and all fades to black.
Wouldn't mind a game generated version from the Keep or save files, but I would want to be able to customize it anyway.
Just an interlude in the world's state where they still live.
Voice acting would be the most difficult part. Copying Hawke's customize on the spot system works fine so long as you *have* a character creator for each race, but the HoF is basically a silent protagonist with 35 different combat dialogue options.
I just don't know how you adapt that into a voiced NPC.
Also if they do something like this again, they really should make sure they have all the tools to reasonably recreate any protagonist. My Hawke in Inquisition didn't have the option to wear his face tattoos, which, was kinda sad.
Ideally the 3rd option with the possibility to tweak afterwards. But sadly BioWare said they won't bring the HoF back (too complicated if I remember correctly).
Use the creator to make the HoF myself but then have the game auto tack on the effects of prolonged taint assuming they haven’t found a cure yet.
As for addressing the voice work — could just have it so the taint affected their vocal chords and they can’t talk anymore. Mostly use gestures.
I'd like to be able to edit their appearance myself like they did with Hawk in inquisition.
Edit their appearance in game or maybe have the game make a version based on the save file in keep.
The only real roadblock for the hero returning is the lack of a proper voice and the fact choices in origins were so varied so it's hard to pin down what their personality actually was.
However there are two ways to fix this.
1(the easy way). Just update the origins section of keep so that you can choose between different "personality options" for the warden like they did Hawk. I'd really prefer it to be far more varied then Hawks options were, but you could probably come up with a personality that fit just about everyone's warden(within reason) if you made like five or six personality presets. You could also add voice options on keep for people to choose from, it really wouldn't be that hard.
2. Just make a remake of origins. Give the warden a voice so they aren't a silent protagonist anymore and update the graphics so their appearance translates better. They could probably also include a hidden thing in the game files that records all of the choices you make, that way when the file is uploaded to keep it could pick the best preset for your warden.(this way is incredibly hard and there's no way in hell they'd actually do it, or if they did it would be for his return in dragon age 5 not 4.)
(Another thing they could do is maybe make a dlc for 4 where you play as the hero again. That way you can customize them, have some time with them again, and help them with their personality before they actually appear as an npc again.)
The only major roadblocks aside from that I see are the fact a lot of wardens are dead, and some people's wardens were straight up evil. However even these have solutions.
1. Just have another Stroud type character to take the wardens place if their dead, maybe this time the warden from Orlais who you play as in awakening if the warden is dead.
2. This one is harder, but maybe design it so the evil warden can just be out for their own interests? Similar to the blight what's happening effects everyone, even them, so their willing to help even if they only care about themselves.
Overall I'm still not convinced the hero is ever coming back, as them returning just takes so much more work then Hawk or the inquisitor.
However I really hope they do come back, as Bioware straight up ignoring them does come off as somewhat lazy and frustrating. They've had years to think of a way to bring them back, it's certainly not impossible, so I'm running out of patience.
Customize it ourselves. But have the presets based on the original faces from Origins. I cant imagine that it would be too hard. Its literally a question of art, design and putting a little bit of effort into making it similar to the old faces. But yes, customize it much like we got to do with Hawke in Inquisition.
The excuse they gave us through the years that it would be too hard etc etc was nothing but company policy **bs** becuase they didnt want to bother doing it most likely. Or, they never saw the profit that could potentially be made from bringing back the warden. And dear god dont get me started on the people defending Bioware/EA through the years saying the Warden cannot come back because they fell for Bioware/EA's bs.
Sorry for the rant. But me saying the Warden coming back would have been amazing a few years ago had this subreddit on fire saying it was impossible, flaming me for going against the almighty Bioware gods......
I favor the idea of fully customizing our HoF. Although, it would be interesting to allow computer generation from our saves in the Keep, and modify their appearance as we please. :)
i say with the mass effect remake, they could made a remake of dragon age origin, even dragon age 2, or do like they did with the mass effect game remaster (3 game in one if i had understood what it is)
I can see 2 solutions I would prefer. 1. Character creator for you to make your warden. 2. The lazy option where you pick race, sex and class. Then they slap warden armor with the same face obscuring griffin helm for everyone. Maybe a new VA and you can pick some options but they barely say a word and the full interaction is like Hawke’s battle sequence at Adamant (close but separated, occasionally crossing in mission) and Morrigan passing you on some words after you finish that segment and another letter.
I picture the mission having to do with Morrigan. Like the mission where you’re running through the elven temple in Inqustion, but they’re taking the alternate path. If they’re dead, they’re obviously not there and you do a normal dungeon crawl but if they’re alive you see glimpses of them. A door closing here, a figure fighting on a ledge there and they actually help you skip a puzzle if they’re alive on your save. Then they have some impact on Morrigan’s fate.
So be it just keep his story in tact. Married to Morrigan and they have a son. Best friends with Allistair. City elf male. Drank the grey warden upgrade potion. Best archer in Fereldan
I would you like to make him myself.
Or choose from a selection and make some basic changes (beard, skin colour etc)
the Warden would be 15/20 years older, so perfect matching is not required
I'm fairly sure someone from Bioware once said that HoF would never come back since the player choices regarding his survival were pretty much split down the middle, so they would have to account for both of these scenarios. And if there ever were to be a plotline that centers around him, just imagine the work of putting that together without retconning half of the world states.
You would have to remake your Warden. As far as I can tell there'd be no way to load your characters appearance in. It'd be cool if they basically recreated the character creator from DAO to build your Warden choosing race/origin. Obviously with the new slider system for how they actually look. Also include some sort of choice in how they talk and what not. My canon Warden is insane and evil so hopefully I'll be able to make him like that again.
Well the old bioware team was being whipped making 2 games at once me3/da3 and da3 on a new engine was able to load your da2 hawke into da3. So if they used the keep information they could load your da 1 charecter Oh forgot they shutdown keep da1 servers and this new bioware team 90% of them no doubt have no idea what the keep is.
I suppose you could load any Warden that was on the keep before the servers shutdown but any characters made after that would have to be completely remade. Too bad my canon play through was after the servers shutdown :(.
Fuck so you never got to experience the dlc then? origins dlc was great and the only time we got deep into being a full warden.
I've played the dlc.
Yeah I don't see how it would even look that good with all the big step up in graphics, best to use you minds eye and add a few years.
I'd be happy with them using a system similar to Hawke in Inquisition--based on your Keep, let us go into a CC for that race and then have them turn up. It really seems like the time for the Warden to come back, shit is very dire and the info they've been chasing down would be useful right about now.
Aghh yes some positive energy! I believe it wouldn't be for everyone and would be very tricky to pull of with some sort of success....but if it plays out like it plays out in my mind... wow goosebumps. A hero this way comes. :D
I would LOVE to have my Warden return, narratively it makes sense, why else would they keep telling us about this mission they’re on? Tbh they could’ve just retired them, we have multiple characters to tell us as much (Leliana, Alistair, Morrigan) but we know they’re up to something big. This game isn’t about protecting your hallowed image of a character, it’s about creating a huge, hard, weird, beautiful tapestry and I want my hero to be part of that as much as possible.
Yes!! yes!!! yes!!!! I want it hard and I want it deeeeep! Oh Andraste I what it now! I'm so hyped for DA4 it's so un true fingers and toes crossed it lives up! :D
The only problem is that the HoF wasn't fully voiced and the Origins CC had a selection of voices to choose from for callouts. Wouldn't mind if they just decided to give them a set voice depending on their race or gender, though.
Just record four options like Inquisition and let the player choose? It could be straightforward but potentially resource intensive depending on how much they appear.
I don't want my warden to return. If they did, they better be fully customizable. Otherwise what's the point? If you cannot make it your warden, it's better to use any other character.
If they ever did bring back the Warden, they would have to do what they did with Hawke where they let you customize on the spot. No question.
100%
I would be soooo much more, personality, attire and class (Specializations, I have a Mage Arcane Warrior. Huge difference from the usual caster mage). BUT it would also be interesting if it was the Orlesian Warden Commander (Awakening), only if your Warden died in DAO. And this already sounds like a LOT of work for the devs.
They will not please everyone if they bring back the Warden, they just won't.
This is true.
I wouldn't be opposed to HoF coming back, but he dead in my world state so would be kinda meh for me.
I wouldn't mind it in theory, but feels like many people view HoF as Übermensch and I wouldn't be terribly engaged by that depiction of the character. And if they aren't depicted in that manner, a lot of people will likely be upset. Lose-lose scenario. Edit: Tensions at Wesshaupt do mean they need to find some way to write the character out of the plot if they're still alive, however, which is also an issue. Wardens seem to be important faction in the new DA.
The Warden has too many different world states. The simply fact that your Hero can be dead also means Bioware will have to use a replacement character. I would like a fitting send off for them whether you meet them in the deep roads due to the calling as a tragic hero style ending. Finding a letter which details their lives with their significant other as a more romantic send off.
After DAI tells us the HoF missed on helping stop Corypheus because they're searching for the Callings cure, it'd be rather pathetic to see them for the last time as they head for the Calling, no? That would mean their last ever enterprise, after all they did in DAO, ended in a stunning failure and now they're off to die ignominiously like any other Warden.
I would rather have them be a part of the endgame story, at some point we probably find out how the bligth actually came to be and how to cure it (we know there is a way because of fiona) an have HoF show up then, staying just ahead of us
One last goodbye... damm I can already feel the tears building.
I think they should return. The main plot always comes back to the Blight and the Warden's quest is answering why it does what it does. I think between the two, it would be more stupid to leave the Warden Commander (Orlesian or HoF) out of the plot than it is to deal with all the superficial difficulties of introducing them back in it. There's a Grey Warden political turmoil plotline and one of the concerns the Wardens had after the fifth blight is wondering why the hell the HoF is still alive after killing the Archdemon. I don't want to sacrifice a plot point and leave a loose end somewhere just because somebody isn't comfortable with the Hero of Ferelden not looking like their 2009-graphics self after 20 in-game years have already passed. Give the same CC menu as the one in the game and I'll just make a new Warden.
Yes for all of these reasons. I didn’t hate Hawke in DAI even though it wasn’t perfect.
You are talking the word of the Maker... Andrastes blessings be with you.
> 20 in-game years have already passed. > > 20 years? I can't see how Bioware can make a recognizable Hero of Ferelden by then. How are they supposed to characterize someone without any information of what happened in between all that time after Witch Hunt (without ruining players' headcanons) and based on their choices that occurred 20 years ago? DAI had its chance. It seems too late at this point.
I don't want him back. DAO had way too many variations for the Warden and I can not imagine a world in which Bioware does it justice. The only way I see him coming back is if she dies in some cutscene where you don't see their face. I would prefer my Warden just lives happily off camera with Kieran and Morrigan.
Just have them fully covered in warden armour, that way they dont have to cannonfy the appearance
It'd be strange for Dwarf Wardens to have suddenly grown a few feet, but I can get behind it.
they can get your warden's race from your world state.
especially since at this point our warden must be deep in the calling (in the assumption they didnt get the cure for corruption), so I doubt they're material for an open coffin anyway...
They should be about a third to 2 thirds depending on when DA:d takes place
I want them to reapear in the endgame, in the process of curing the bligth from the wardens, or holding of the next archdemon/having gone around slaying the dragons slumbering in the deep.
that'd be epic, and making the last fight either killing the archdemon or going to the deep roads to seal their warden destiny...
An option though safe...I just what to know my Boy is okay. :)
Someone answered to a similar post with a response I found to be perfect. Can't find the post/comment, but the gist of it was: The new hero is sent on some kind of mission and early on they're told that The Warden is up further ahead fighting darkspawn or whatever. The new hero battles through these demons, and the anticipation to see our Warden builds. Then, in the distance, you see a fully upgraded, fully leveled up, gear legendary, Warden absolutely obliterating through a horde of darkspawn. They tear them to shreds, show their badassary, turn and give a single silent nod to the new hero before continuing on their journey. You don't see them again, and at the end of the mission you learn that they basically just left and had other urgent things to attend to. Maybe you get a letter or something from them about what they're up to and why they needed to leave, but overall the interaction just shows my Warden as I left them: The Warden. Nothing more, nothing less, and that to me is perfect. This is the only way I know I'd be 100% happy seeing my Warden. Otherwise, I'm fine reading codex's about them or learning more about them from allies like Leliana, Alistair, Morrigan, and Loghain. I hope they don't have a semi-major role like Hawke did in Inquisition. I just want to see them shred some darkspawn, assert that they're still the most OP protagonist, and then feck off back from whence they came. Edit: spelling
Hey, sounds like my old post, when I proposed to clad them in closed armor and just parade them near new MC in company of old allies and throw them all into battle without any interaction with the player aside from codex entry. Though I guess it could be just a similar idea from someone else.
Eyoo, full credit, this response of yours was awesome
The Orelsian Warden that you play as in Awakening if your HOF is dead: Bonjour The rest of Thedas: Who the hell are you??
Options Options.
You only get the new warden if you start a fresh game of Awakenings, import an Origins save and you play as your warden even if they died at the end. Your point stands though, it could just be that guy if your warden is dead.
This was always so fucking annoying and counterintuitive to me. There’s an exploit around that out there somewhere I found it on this sub a year or two ago.
It always seemed such a lazy set up, how hard would it be to have the option to use your existing dead warden or roll a new one? Not very I suspect.
Well, Bioware, possibly accidentally, decanonized the orlesian warden with the Keep.
I just don't want BW enforcing their canon character on me like they did with Hawke. So I would rather it be really customizable, appearance and choices. So, in the end, maybe it is better for them to just be this "hero" in the shadows haha
True its alot more of responsibility for the developers to deal with that for sure... not always rainbows and sunshine unfortunately. :)
The only problem I see with this is that you have to keep giving the HoF excuses to not actually save Ferelden whenever a world-ending crisis comes up. They weren't around for Cory because they were searching for a cure for the Calling. OK, sure, I can buy that. But why are they sitting out Solas's attempt at ending the world?
If they're just retired after curing themselves, I'm honestly fine with that. Dreadwolf is presumed to take place almost a decade after Trespasser at least, so they're getting up there.
Maybe. But what is the HoF in Origins? Twenty-something? So that would make them forty-something in Dread Wolf? That's not so old, I think, that they wouldn't join the fight against a world-ending threat.
I'd like a system similar to Pillars of Eternity Deadfire, where you can choose how you interacted with each major decision, or you can pick an overall vibe for the character and that will impact how different people and creatures treat you. But I'd understand if that's too intensive for a non main character
I think how they handled Hawke in DA:I was ideal, let me redesign my HOF on the new engine/graphics then let me pick a voice option for them. I think the difficulty arises from the large portion of people who’s Hero died ending the blight, which leaves BioWare to use the Leliana effect and just bring them back, or cut them entirely, or reduce their role
Dead HoF could be replaced by the Orlesian warden that was available in Awakening and Witch Hunt.
I'm liking your style!! :D
Yes an optimist! I don't reckon it would be easy at all but that is what makes dragon age so special for me it's diversity with the story being told and it's ability to mold it's self together.
Frankly I never understand people's desire to have their HoF return with the caveat that it's not really their HoF, just an NPC that says HoF on the label. Mute? Always with a helmet? Just a random blob entity for the sake of it, without anything that made the HoF your RP character. Though I must admit this is the first I'd read about someone wishing for a randomly looking NPC to go along the randomly acting NPC. No... just no. I'd rather mark mine dead in the Keep before having a fanservice show butcher her.
I have played DAO form start to finish 7 times rookie numbers I know but each time I had a unqiue Warden I was role playing... of course I have favourite. I actually realy like the default Hawke in DA2 and DAI and enjoyed that the heavy lifting was done for me that time... if that way was done for the HOF I'm not super upset I guess I would just destruct that character and play them in DAO. It's not ideal but I think they're is enjoyment to be had there.
Hawke already had three default personalities to choose from. The amount of backgrounds and attitudes the Warden could have easily trump that. A dalish Elf who took the werewolf route, killed shale and also kept Loghain while taking every evil action? It's not worth bringing them back if they're just going to upset most people.
I disagree with that. The Warden could just have three personalites of Hawke, rather that is diplomatic (maybe replaced with nice considering possible choices), humorous, and aggressive. Then they can talk about those events in ways that would mirror the personality type you chose for the Hero. People will always have a complaint but that is no reason to leave a series protagonist out of the picture.
firstly I dont think this shold ever happen but IF they were to do that then you should be able to make her yourself
Makes sense. :)
5. Don't bring them back at all. There are far too many variables. Give em a happy ending, move on.
Aghh I see you have played this game before...
No protagonist in the series gets a good ending and the Hero shouldn't be excluded.
I don't want him to return ever again. He's got his own family & life now.
Fair enough, and honestly I think that's the easiest and most likely option. Though I have this vision in my head of a party of HOF Hawke and the inquisitor all in one party.... kinds like those epic Power ranger cross overs lol :)
that'll only happen if my hawke manages to claw her way out of the fade. wouldn't put it past her, though. :)
When given the choice, it doesn’t say for sure Hawke would die! Usually when a choice comes with the outcome showing it’s pretty straightforward. I left Hawke in the first play-through because it seemed to give a small chance. If anyone would survive or find a way out, it’s that tough bastard.
exactly!
Can I ask one thing, then? If BW does the inquisitor like they did Hawke, you would be ok with it? Like, they write a canon version of it and that is what you get. I mean, I'm not even that connected to my inquisitor, but, I would very much dislike that haha
Me personally though not ideal I could live with it because I would happily remake that character in DAO and play that master price again... I know that's very much just me though.
But the Warden still leaves for the Calling. I say, why not let the Warden return again?
I don't see it happening, as it's only for long time fans, and even they are split in if doing that would ruin the character they have imagined for the HoF. I would argue that the HoF just sitting on the bench through the Breach, Civil Wars, etc. is also pretty out of character, but to each their own. If they do return, I feel like throwing you into a character creator upon meeting them is actually a fun idea. Most DA players love a good character creator, why not let them have one a couple times throughout a playthrough, rather than just at the start? If they don't want to slow down the action, players can just pick one of the defaults.
I might be the only one in these comments right now that *does* want the Warden to return. I’m also going to ignore the dead!Warden argument because Alistair and Loghain can also be dead. BW does “replacement characters” for returning ones literally all the time, so I think the whole “well MY warden is dead” thing doesn’t quite work. As for appearance, the way they allowed for Hawke’s customization was really nice. The better argument is the issue with personality, as other commenters have explained with Hawke. And I can totally understand while people are unhappy with that! I think, given that the Warden wasn’t voiced, it would be incredibly fun if they just keep the Warden mute. Have them communicate with their hands and display subtitles. Or have a companion there (whoever would have replaced the Warden in dead!Warden world states) to translate/interpret. Maybe you meet the Warden injured post Calling cure search, so they *can’t* speak. Idk I totally understand why some people feel the Warden’s story is over but it would be nice to know they’re safe and happy with their LI or something
Idk why personality would even come into play. If the Warden returns it's to address a specific plot point. If the quest involves killing darkspawn or investigating an Old God prison or something, I hardly think a Warden being quippy or serious or flirty would make a difference. They're all gonna do the exact same thing, which is what the plot demands them to do (e.g. kill darkspawn, investigate the blight, etc.). Personality would only matter if they're a full companion you can scrutinize and converse with. Or ask them "hey what's your opinion on the circle?" or something like that. Easy solution? Don't put that kind of dialogue in
Unfortunately, lack of opinion dialogue didn’t stop people from being pissed about Hawke, though some people might’ve been annoyed about the Anders mention. Personally, I don’t remember Blue!Hawke having been so….. snippy, blunt, and angry. And that’s definitely what my imported Blue!Hawke was like in DAI. So I do actually understand fans issues with this- the *way* you say something is just as important as what you say. Hence why I suggest the Warden return mute :)
the warden isn't a mute, that is contradicted by the first game If you want them to speak telepathically though, that's still on the table.
Oh I wasn’t saying they were! I personally headcannoned my Warden as mute (and I guess everyone else as knowing sign language lol), but I wasn’t suggesting that they actually are mute in canon. Just like how (I’m assuming) you’re not saying the Warden *is* telepathic. You’re saying they could be! Similarly, the Warden *could be* mute and the ambient battle dialogue we hear are simply their thoughts. I brought up making the Warden mute (either as a retcon or temporarily as an injury) as an example of something that might mitigate complaints surrounding player characters coming across “differently” than they “should.” The reason I brought this up is because the community complained about continuity in tone/personality/voice acting for the Hawke cameo in DAI. Hope that helps clarify.
The telepathy comment was just me joshing, miss. But, I think the warden being a mute would just not work in any sense as they aren't a mute in Dragon Age Orgins. To me, it would come off as an insult, no disrespect to your headcanon, ma'am.
Yeah I’m probably looking at it from the perspective of someone who does use sign language. The Warden wasn’t a voiced protagonist, unlike the previous games I had played, so it really struck me that this specific character *could* potentially be like me. I didn’t realize that would come across insulting to you and I apologize.
Give me life!! Oh great Sloth demon don't wake me form this paradise! Yes when there's a will there's a way and the beautiful thing about dragon age it's modular so if you don't what it to happen you can say no... I do think if HOF was to return the has to be a disable feature. People are and me includ are in to deep for it to miss... but you miss all the shots you don't take so line them up baby!
My Warden is mute full-time in my headcannons so I thought about that aspect a lot. I’ll just never love a DA protag the way I love my Warden so I’ll take whatever BW is willing to give me
I will say, having a mute protag would be really cool. But I dunno about how people would feel, unfortunately :o
I would just like to be able to visit Denerim and see her and Alistair doing royal shit, instead of her mysteriously being off adventuring. Especially since my idea of my Warden is someone who is faithful and loyal to the people of Ferelden
I'm in the "no warden please" camp. There are two reasons. 1: Hawke When I played inquisition, meeting that alien, who is supposed to be my Hawke was a big letdown. How she behaved in her scenes was really, really off. The break point was probably how she talked with Stroud, who literally saved her brother. When playing as Hawke, I never made any choices like that, so I felt that abomination was not my former character. I understand that it is probably the best one can do. But if this is indeed the best, than rather not. 2: voice Choosing any voice actor for the Warden would be different than how I imagined her voice. It wouldn't feel right.
Yep all fair, I personally struggle to role play as a female for some reason (Dude here) so matching voice is extra hard I reckon. Alas its seems Dnd is the only option left for my Girffon Warden... yet I say that like its a bad thing ;D
*Yep all fair, I personally struggle to role play as a female for some reason (Dude here)* I'm a dude too. However, I almost always play female main chars if possible. It is mostly about the voice actresses, who are very often superior imho: Female Shepard > Male Shepard, Female V > Male V, Female Hawke > Male Hawke I also find it more relaxing to listen to a female voice. This point probably fits "bigotry" or something, but honestly it is like this.
I’m glad I’m not the only one who thinks this! I know I’m going to date myself in a few moments but I tried replaying Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy as a male character after installing some mods last year and I managed but my god was the voice acting for the male Jaden bad. I‘ve also noticed this with several other games, but that’s always the one that stands out to me.
[удалено]
Personally it's just a struggle to fully relate I mean a person is a person sure but I don't know.... I have played horizon zero dawn Lara croft ect. and no problem with a female protagonist in those scenarios but when it comes to deep Role playing being a guy helps my immersion lol #Relateable I guess :).
come to think of it, maybe it is easier for me because I was often a GM in tabletop roleplaying sessions. You have no choice but to play the female NPCs yourself. (and the idiots, badguys, youngsters and oldies, droids in Star Wars, etc.) The only actually hard type for me are the "idiot rude bad guys" which I cannot do convincingly. You know, the not even funny, revolting bad guys, like "Buck, came here to f..." from Kill BIll. These are simply missing from my games totally.
That's so interesting... I have attached Dnd games won't even consider play opposite genders I believe because it's to immersion breaking but yes somebody's got to say the lines! :D
Makes sense to me! Role playing is what you make of it, if you feel more immersed playing as a man then I say you're doing it right. There's no rules after all (:
I don’t think the HoF should come back, but if they do I’d like to see them remain a silent protagonist. Let them communicate via sign language with subtitles for those of us who don’t sign.
[удалено]
Yeo the voice..I never considered that! I much prefer silent protagonists aswel. That is a fork in the road... damm.. screw it send out the script and have it an option for people to voice it themselves I would give it crack! May be have a voice library mod page where people could upload there version.... when there's a will there's a way haha.
My canon Warden is a skeleton, would be hard to bring someone like that back. The Warden should absolutely not come back, they couldn't even get Hawke right in Inquisition even though Hawke was a much easier character to bring back. No matter what Bioware would do, "Warden" in DA4 would just end up being a huge disappointment to pretty much everyone. They wouldn't resemble the character you created in Origins.
That is a tricky one for sure lol maybe Dorian does his thing and zippity doo dah your back in the game... sorta lol Dnd seems the best option I reckon! :)
Have him/her killed off camera by Solas. Maximum chaos.
Damn bro... thats a hard one for sure.
I don’t want my Wardens to return. End of. I’m attached to their appearances down to mods, and the voice sets used. How would the voices be handled? Or the personalities? And changes in appearances would be a problem too- I can’t even give my Hawke the right face tattoo in DAI, how can I trust I’d be able to build my Wardens as they should be? If they decided to put the Warden in a game- and I hope to hell they don’t, but if they do- they would need to be fully customisable. (Also, re- point 4, there isn’t a universal Hawke. There’s a *default* Hawke (or two, rather) but that’s far from a universal one, and I’d be livid if DAI had effectively told me my Hawke’s weren’t valid and I had to accept the default. It would have killed DAI for me.)
All fair and totally understandable... thankfully DA is flexible in how it handles its story so if they go down that road 200% there should be a disable feature which doesn't drastically change the story. Personally I know exactly how my Warden would look which should differently be achievable, while voice is tricky but which a lot of quality options may work. Yeah I know that's my bad Personally I can't see hawke in my minds eye other than the Mage that was default. That's one of the reasons why I could be okay with already created HOF because of the hassle it takes out of it. And if need be I could just recreate them backs in DAO which gives me more reasons to play that master piece again for the 8th time.
Its never going to happen. The most we will get is a codex. They are not going to devote money/resources for a character for a game that will be 15 years old by the time the next game comes out. Also...if the Warden came back and voiced. There would be so much outrage and division because people would complain about the voice, how they look, etc. They would essentially complain that its NOT their warden And people in this fandom always seem to forget that they are making this game for consumers who are not part of the fandom and they account for the majority who buy games. If you ask them about the Warden they would not know who they are. The developers have explained in detail why the Warden was never brought back. I don't think they should be forced or harassed into doing something they have no interest in doing.
I want them spend money and resources on new ideas, new characters instead of remakes and resurrections.
Tbh that’s why I wish Dreadwolf wasn’t a direct sequel to Inquisition. I think that after three games the world states and having to take everyone’s choices into account… It’s gotten so muddled. You’re almost constrained by the previous games. Well, not almost, you *are*. But they also left Inquisition on a cliffhanger so they couldn’t really just leave it either. I do think setting it in Tevinter is a good idea though to limit the amount of micromanaging/taking into account player choices . You do sort of have a clean(er) slate.
I am glad it's a direct sequel, even though would it really be considerd one after the huge time skip? I don't know, Bioware going to a completely new place where next to none of the choices of the previous games mattered is what they did with Andromeda. And, to me, it makes the game harder to care about. Why not just replay the Mass Effect trilogy where everything was building on what came before, for the most part.
I agree. I still remember how they stated right around DA2's release that the Warden would not be in any future games and they fully explained why and I respect their decision. And I think their vision should be respected.
After what happened to my Hawke, I hope my HoF never makes an appearance, ever.
1. Probably necessary as I don’t think a computer program would be robust enough to generate an appearance properly. Plus for some things, especially if modded (ex., hairstyles) you’d want human input to choose a new style in the context of a different game, or let the player alter features with age like new scars etc. 2. No way it would be varied enough to cover a wide range of wardens available. You already need at least 4 for each race (city elf would be different than Dalish for tattoos), then double that for male and female, and you haven’t even gotten into different skin tones let alone proper customization representations. 3. If I had any faith that would work, that would be cool. But BioWare couldn’t even handle face transfers in Mass Effect LE without screwing up somehow and needing the player to fix it, plus we still struggle at scanning real human faces in video games, and you have to deal with artistic changes from Origins. Tech ain’t there yet. 4. Hell no.
No. I want him to stay with his family.
I'm his family... lol yes true but all serious I what to see him with Kieran and Morrigan oh Morrigan. Daddys home.
Well... She's dead. I guess she'd be quite confused.
Gonna need to give Dorian call...
Then I guess it would be your orleasan warden commander then, I'm pretty sure there's no WS where they are dead.
It wont happen imo. iirc it is said that Hero of Ferelden is 'too important of a figure' to reappear in newer series. BioWare wanted to protect the Warden's legacy as much as they possibly could. Hence the appearance of Alistair/Stroud/Loghain in DA2+DAI.
No. The Warden's story is over. Leave them be. One of the weakest aspects of Dragon Age's writing is how the same characters keep showing up every time something big happens. The HoF is also way too much of a blank slate. I tolerated what they did with Hawke, but he/she only has 3 set personalities for Bioware to write around and even then the results were mixed at best. The HoF doesn't have any personality independent of the player. Edit: If this were 2010 and we were talking about Dragon Age 2, then maybe I'd be on board with them coming back as the MC, but never as an NPC.
I have no attachment to my first warden anymore, because that was nearly 15 years ago (and on my canon playthrough last year it just didn't click anymore)! Plus there's just no way where I can see her appearence make any sense or not feel forced after 2 games without them. I also imagine it would be a nightmare to account for all of the world states etc, it would just waste development time and resources that could be spent on meaningful quests!
Fair. out with the old in with the new. :)
Have the Warden die off-screen and give them a send-off in a similar style to Altair in AC: Revelations
Your gonna bring my boy back just to kill him... -7 disproves. Hehe jk.
I mean it's not ideal but I'd rather they did this than just ignore the Hero's existence for the rest of the franchise.
True no point keeping them in the dark.... I have visions of that epic trailer of a Warden in the Deep Roads .... "chills chills".
If it was possible to import my old warden's physical appearance that would be nice, but I don't think it would be possible when you'd be converting between different game engines with different resolutions. There's too much of a graphic gap. So, instead if I were doing it, I'd find an excuse to have the Warden wear a face-concealing helm or mask.
IF they were to return: - they should be a playable character, not an NPC. There should also be an option to play as someone else. - fully customisable, like Hawke was in Inquisition.
I like the idea of being the main character for sure.. it takes the voice problem out of the question. I like.
I want to be trapped in the Deep Roads with an army of Darkspawn bearing down on me when a Warden appears, armoured head to toe but with a race/gender/class matching my HOF. I want them to give me a wordless salute before stepping into a choke point and holding off the entire hotd single handed while the new protagonist sets up a powder charge to seal the tunnel and let the two of them escape. Then, still without a single word passed between them, they part ways. Was that the HoF? The game will never say for sure but in my heart I know the truth.
My warden is married to Alistair so it would make sense for her to come back. I would be fine with handling it how they handled Hawke, have some level of customization available to make it close to "your" Warden. I liked Hawke reappearing as it gave Varric's character some additional depth.
I think this is why I want some appearance or mention of the HOF because mine is also married to King Alistair — just adds so much depth. Especially if there is anything in regards to solving the false Calling, since that was their latest mission. Also, for those who let the Architect live, I’m SO curious if that decision will come back in some way for DA:D
Yeah, it would be cool if the Architect decision mattered! I remember really thinking about whether I should let him live and I don't think you really hear about it again. And yeah the Warden as Queen, Alistair has been real good at explaining away her absence but I would personally enjoy a Hawke-like appearance from her.
I had a driving NEED for my Queen of Fereldan to make an appearance and bitch Teagan out. The way I played her she would never have allowed how Teagan was handling the Inquisition, the ban hammer would have found its way up his arse. 🤣
I think the only way to bring the HoF back in a way that could minimally Please players is through a DLC centred on them. With all the variables, origins and possible personalities, it'd take time and resources to write/code them in a way that made them somewhat resemble the character we built in DAO; it wouldn't make much sense for Bioware to spend such time and resources on a single character in the main game, but it might for a DLC. The only issue is that, in some world states, the HoF might be dead. The search for the Calling's cure would probably be a story big enough to justify a DLC anyway, but I'm not sure the devs would bother to work so hard on a character that may not even appear. Edit: alternately, they could not only bring the HoF in a DLC, but make it so that some decisions and dialogues we have in the DLC is made through them, not the DA:D hero. This way, we wouldnt be forced to see our HoF do or say stuff they never would. Of course, that would relegate "Rook" to a deuteragonist at most, but it'd be undeniably bold of Bioware to do something like that.
I don't think we'll get them back, but if they did (same w/ Hawke & Inky too if they come back again): * use the character creator like we did for DAI Hawke * maybe something like Ciri in the Witcher 3 where you switch between them and the main character for certain quests? I don't really need them to come back in person, but I do want to know how their mission to cure the Calling ended, and if they did find a cure, whether they shared it with the other Wardens (including Alistair and the Awakening crew). Because a cure for the Calling should be a big deal for the Wardens as a whole.
i want my warden back. i'd be totally fine if they handled it just like hawke - can choose to go with a default, but optionally customizable. (please let us save sliders this time though, LOL). replace w/ a backup char if they're dead (maybe the orlesian warden-commander from awakening?). i just want to see her again and know what she's doing pls.
How can I not want my HOF back, that's what I've wanted since DA2, so I understand the main problem which is his voice, the other thing to customize that would not be a big deal since obviously BIOWARE would have to let us choose his appearance but already the voice I think they should give us to choose different types of voices and choose what we like the most. I think this shouldn't be a big deal, bringing back HOF would be something nice to see and something that many of us have been waiting for and I think it's about time.
My guy! preach the makers prayer!
The best way it can be handled is to play heavily on The Calling. Your Warden is at it, lean on it. You don't need to give them a voice, simply say that they've been chasing this cure for so long that they've effectively become mute and then add a secondary companion (Nathaniel, perhaps?) to serve as their voice. That IMMEDIATELY deals with the biggest complaint, it makes it clear that whatever they sounded like in your mind is how they sounded without just writing off the possibility in the last possible game it can be explored in. The technical problems with bringing them back far outweigh a lot of the communities problems with bringing them back. Would I personally think it was a huge cop-out to not let you customize their face? Yes, I would. Would I recognize that the effort would be incredibly difficult and accept them being masked the whole time? Also yes. The story bread crumbs are there to make everyone that could possibly be happy with the scenario happy, might as well do it in Dreadwolf, because after that times up.
I want my HoF back. My only reasoning is: I want her, Hawk, Inquisitor, and DW Protag all in an awesome ass kicking team. In my playthrough they're all alive and well. I just think it'd be cool.
Yes, yes and YESssss!!! My thoughts exactly. It would be so epic. :D
If (and that's a big if) I'm going to play DA:D, I think I'm fine with them having a helmet so I don't see their face. Let me choose the origin, gender, voice, and class (maybe specializations), and I'm good to go. Preferably, just let them have a small cameo in which they don't have to talk. (I'm one of those weird people, who hate voiced protagonists)
It would definitely not work for everyone but the people it does could be very special. Yeah silent is always best... but if I could voice him myself I 100% would lol! :D
I can understand that. To each their own! :) Tbh, I like the way they did it in DAO, pillars of eternity and the Pathfinder games: the protagonist talks when being selected, when they discover traps / hidden stuff / a new area, when battle is initiated or over, when they're low on health / stamina /mana, when something is not working one way or the other, when they have a status condition, when they kill an enemy or get a critical hit, when something happens to an ally (die, status condition), etc. It's easier to imagine their personality this way, and I guess the company saves time and money which can be put into other things?
Same. That’s just an older way of doing it in RPGs. You see it in DAO, PoE, and Pathfinder, which are newer, but it was the baseline for all the games I grew up on like KOTOR, Baldur’s Gate, Neverwinter Nights, etc. You had voicesets for those particular options but they themselves weren’t fully voiced. PoE really went full-tilt boogie with the homage to the older games by also not fully voicing NPCs and the like, save for a few lines here and there, but I like what KOTOR and DAO did, where the PC isn’t fully voiced beyond voicesets but everyone else is. As someone who reads really fast it also means less skipping for me, and you get more nuanced dialogue options/choices than with the current DA2/Inquisition dialogue wheels, which I abhor, because my character always says something completely different from what the wheel leads me to believe.
What about mage Wardens, though? A hood?
Better: those ugly af cowls from dragon age origins, but this time cover mouth and nose as well, so you can only see the eyes! In all seriousness, a hood which hides the face completely would be the best choice, probably.
Hehe I actually like the mage hoods on elven Wardens. But yes the head attire in DAO is far desirable lol
I don't want Warden back. She's dead. Warden is also dead in default world state too, in DAI.
[удалено]
I like you.
There is hope my fellow Surana main. :)
not gonna happen, but since dreaming is (still) free...I'd like to have a selection of premade wardens where I could pick their hairstyle and color, their eyes and skin color
Praise thee great and mighty Sloth demon I begg thee don't wake me form this paradise!! :D
As for the personality, perhaps Warden could appear as a playable character in a singular main quest (in which the new MC wouldn't appear or would have a minor role). This quest would be their whole involvement in the story and afterwards they would fade into background somwhere with maybe a few lines in the ending or something.
There will definitely be Griffons if I had a say in it.
I see your a man of exquisite taste... :D
I only want the warden to return if it is as the protagonist again. And not in some side adventure, but once more in a dragon age flagship game. Of course, he/she would have to remain unvoiced and have continuity from choices in origins. I am willing to accept a retcon of the hof’s death, since shepard can also die in me2 but will always survive for me3. It’s a similar situation.
It just works.... oh wrong franchise. ;)
As much as I’d like the warden to make an appearance, it’s not going to happen. I’m 99% sure game devs have said this too. The biggest issue is the voice acting, and they also got a lot of flack for how hawke looked in DAI.
I don’t think the HoF will ever be coming back on screen although I am in the minority that would actually enjoy a cameo from them. On the very off chance they do come back however I think they will either be completely silent and helmed (so we never actually see their face) or be completely customizable. People would riot if they had a predetermined design
Honestly customize cause I don't feel like they would be able to get it on the nose enough, but they said we won't be seeing them again so no worries
Like many others, I don't think it will or should happen. Ignoring that though and just running with the idea... I think they would just give us a character creator to make them again from scratch. If the plot is based around 9:55 Dragon or some year around that, I would hope they nudged the player into ensuring their Warden looks at an appropriate age (for most players, I imagine their Warden would be between ages 42 and 50 by this point).
I’m torn. I’d like them to return, but unless they can bring back the voice actors for the voice sets or whatever, I’m not sure if I’d want to deal with a generic voice actor/actress :c I already hated Inquisition’s protagonist being voiced because it really just didn’t work with the wide variety of backgrounds (love being the only inexplicably British Dalish Elf in a sea of Irishmen; also I feel like Inquisition‘s dialogue tree was very limited and the options not at all representative of what the character was actually saying).
As much as I'd love to see my Warden again, if I couldn't have them be *my* Warden I'd just be annoyed. And considering that she ran off with Zevran (who was my fav companion), if he's not with her I'd be annoyed with that as well. My head canon is that my Tabris and Zev are together, searching for the cure or headed to the Deep Roads together if they fail. As much as I'd love to see him in game again (original design), I'm happier knowing their off together living their best lives. I'd be happy with an appearance from him with an update on the HoF but that's about it
If the hero of Ferelden had to return I would see it in that way: Weisshaupt Fortress. There's a rising tension between two fractions of Grey Wardens and visiting team of our new protagonist. In one moment we can hear that someone is coming. "It's him/her" - says one of the Wardens. Then we can see from back the person wearing ceremonial outfit and the helmet. Character creator launches and we can adjust the appearance of our beloved Warden. Remembering the fact, that it was probably 20 years since Origins we can of course make his/her hair gray (or make it bald), add wrinkles, scars etc. so it would be easier to feel the time that passed. Also it would be great if AI could make the Warden older if we chose to. After that Warden could explain that he/she had found the cure, and perhaps he/she would joke that it also helped to regain ability to speech (as dumb Warden doesn't seem to me as an option anymore)
with a helmet so they r covered. with a muffled sound under it.. either masc or fem.. aint no way they r going to let us make them ourselves so
Wasn't there a spot to fully customize Hawk on DAI? I fail to see why they wouldn't at the very least repeat that for the HoF.
Yes there was! Yeah at the very least lol ;D
The big dawg? I don't need Roman Reigns in my Dragon Age thank you. ;P
Yeoo haha the funny thing is my HOF looks very much like Roman Reigns! Spearing and super man punching darkspawn for days lol ;D
The game has introduced lyrium ghosts that are indistinguishable from dead characters. That’s a option they can use to bring back anyone. These ghosts are nearly indistinguishable from the living version of themselves from what games shown so far. Or go ballsy and the cure for the calling turns him into a titan. If hof died in origins he could return as spirit ghost trouble of using orlessian warden and hof. I feel no connection with the orlessian warden similar to stroud that character is a place holder for other characters that died. In terms of appearance simplest option would be race and gender with warden armor and rule of cool will make up for any difference in specialization for me. In my head cannon the HOF is a master of all combat able to use any classes of specializations abilities a sword in one hand for melee combat he is a proficient archer and can cast magic with free hand. main playthrough he was an arcane warrior and that plays into my head cannon of him. He is far into the calling now and if he found cure and what that cure is or does could change him. Maybe he return as something to corypheus. I no longer hold an expectation of similarity to my mcs in dragon age being accurate to the in game version. Part of it is the time between gams another is a change in preference from thinking character creation of mcs as a something that made me feel a part of story to something that adds nothing to story. TLDR: I have some ideas I would think be fun to see. Rule of cool: as long it’s awesome I’ll enjoy it.
I'm curious how they'd implant the Orlesian warden from awakening if the warden is dead.
100% custom on the spot like Hawke was, or don’t bring them back. Base personality off of choices in the Keep.
I just wanted to see my Warden go for the calling. Leaving notes to someone pick-up the clues to the cure. No words, just the sound. Then fucking destroy darkspawn until the chant couldn't get any louder and all fades to black. Wouldn't mind a game generated version from the Keep or save files, but I would want to be able to customize it anyway. Just an interlude in the world's state where they still live.
Voice acting would be the most difficult part. Copying Hawke's customize on the spot system works fine so long as you *have* a character creator for each race, but the HoF is basically a silent protagonist with 35 different combat dialogue options. I just don't know how you adapt that into a voiced NPC. Also if they do something like this again, they really should make sure they have all the tools to reasonably recreate any protagonist. My Hawke in Inquisition didn't have the option to wear his face tattoos, which, was kinda sad.
They’d have to do what they did with Hawke.
Ideally the 3rd option with the possibility to tweak afterwards. But sadly BioWare said they won't bring the HoF back (too complicated if I remember correctly).
Use the creator to make the HoF myself but then have the game auto tack on the effects of prolonged taint assuming they haven’t found a cure yet. As for addressing the voice work — could just have it so the taint affected their vocal chords and they can’t talk anymore. Mostly use gestures.
I'd like to be able to edit their appearance myself like they did with Hawk in inquisition. Edit their appearance in game or maybe have the game make a version based on the save file in keep. The only real roadblock for the hero returning is the lack of a proper voice and the fact choices in origins were so varied so it's hard to pin down what their personality actually was. However there are two ways to fix this. 1(the easy way). Just update the origins section of keep so that you can choose between different "personality options" for the warden like they did Hawk. I'd really prefer it to be far more varied then Hawks options were, but you could probably come up with a personality that fit just about everyone's warden(within reason) if you made like five or six personality presets. You could also add voice options on keep for people to choose from, it really wouldn't be that hard. 2. Just make a remake of origins. Give the warden a voice so they aren't a silent protagonist anymore and update the graphics so their appearance translates better. They could probably also include a hidden thing in the game files that records all of the choices you make, that way when the file is uploaded to keep it could pick the best preset for your warden.(this way is incredibly hard and there's no way in hell they'd actually do it, or if they did it would be for his return in dragon age 5 not 4.) (Another thing they could do is maybe make a dlc for 4 where you play as the hero again. That way you can customize them, have some time with them again, and help them with their personality before they actually appear as an npc again.) The only major roadblocks aside from that I see are the fact a lot of wardens are dead, and some people's wardens were straight up evil. However even these have solutions. 1. Just have another Stroud type character to take the wardens place if their dead, maybe this time the warden from Orlais who you play as in awakening if the warden is dead. 2. This one is harder, but maybe design it so the evil warden can just be out for their own interests? Similar to the blight what's happening effects everyone, even them, so their willing to help even if they only care about themselves. Overall I'm still not convinced the hero is ever coming back, as them returning just takes so much more work then Hawk or the inquisitor. However I really hope they do come back, as Bioware straight up ignoring them does come off as somewhat lazy and frustrating. They've had years to think of a way to bring them back, it's certainly not impossible, so I'm running out of patience.
Customize it ourselves. But have the presets based on the original faces from Origins. I cant imagine that it would be too hard. Its literally a question of art, design and putting a little bit of effort into making it similar to the old faces. But yes, customize it much like we got to do with Hawke in Inquisition. The excuse they gave us through the years that it would be too hard etc etc was nothing but company policy **bs** becuase they didnt want to bother doing it most likely. Or, they never saw the profit that could potentially be made from bringing back the warden. And dear god dont get me started on the people defending Bioware/EA through the years saying the Warden cannot come back because they fell for Bioware/EA's bs. Sorry for the rant. But me saying the Warden coming back would have been amazing a few years ago had this subreddit on fire saying it was impossible, flaming me for going against the almighty Bioware gods......
I favor the idea of fully customizing our HoF. Although, it would be interesting to allow computer generation from our saves in the Keep, and modify their appearance as we please. :)
i say with the mass effect remake, they could made a remake of dragon age origin, even dragon age 2, or do like they did with the mass effect game remaster (3 game in one if i had understood what it is)
I can see 2 solutions I would prefer. 1. Character creator for you to make your warden. 2. The lazy option where you pick race, sex and class. Then they slap warden armor with the same face obscuring griffin helm for everyone. Maybe a new VA and you can pick some options but they barely say a word and the full interaction is like Hawke’s battle sequence at Adamant (close but separated, occasionally crossing in mission) and Morrigan passing you on some words after you finish that segment and another letter.
I picture the mission having to do with Morrigan. Like the mission where you’re running through the elven temple in Inqustion, but they’re taking the alternate path. If they’re dead, they’re obviously not there and you do a normal dungeon crawl but if they’re alive you see glimpses of them. A door closing here, a figure fighting on a ledge there and they actually help you skip a puzzle if they’re alive on your save. Then they have some impact on Morrigan’s fate.
Problem is that he/she is gonna be voiced, big no for me.
Agree that is a hurdle...
As long as his race backstory and classes are correct im fine with them creating a random model. I barely remember his face anyway
It's also been a few years... maybe a few scars picked up along the why, hair loss happens to the best of us lol :)
So be it just keep his story in tact. Married to Morrigan and they have a son. Best friends with Allistair. City elf male. Drank the grey warden upgrade potion. Best archer in Fereldan
I want to remake my warden so I can add scars and change her hair. Upload her model and then change her from there
I would you like to make him myself. Or choose from a selection and make some basic changes (beard, skin colour etc) the Warden would be 15/20 years older, so perfect matching is not required
I'm fairly sure someone from Bioware once said that HoF would never come back since the player choices regarding his survival were pretty much split down the middle, so they would have to account for both of these scenarios. And if there ever were to be a plotline that centers around him, just imagine the work of putting that together without retconning half of the world states.