Though my affection for them has waned over the years, I’m still a pretty big fan of Leliana. Sheryl Chee did a great job outlining a character who, clearly being the youngest of the crew, went through a troubling development via toxic relationship with Orlesian bard mastermind Marjolaine coinciding with her increased skill and knowledge of the trade, culminating in a broken bond and fractured belief before finding a new, spirited sect to take refuge under once her tragedy had ran its course, and Corinne Kempa does an equally commendable job at giving her the softspoken yet cunning mannerism that fits the character like a glove. Really, I’m just bummed she’s segued into the Archer line for the main game, cause (cross)bow builds are severely outclassed in every regard when it comes to the Rogue and Warrior options, but it’s not like she didn’t pick up the slack I guess.

I assume her popularity amongst the crowd was large enough to earn her own add-on, cause what you do here is essentially play out that story. It’s not quite 1:1 in detail, since you’re in Denerim and not Orlais like where the betrayal happens for instance, but it doesn’t really matter much. Another thing to note is that Lukas Kristjanson was the main writer for this, which I could somewhat pick up since its vibe and appeal is much more in-line with the Orzammar arc which is where he was one of the penners; saboteurs, parasocial intrigue, various ways to handle a situation (a particularly hilarious one being implicating a knocked out guard for all the crimes you did), things of that nature. This is fun, and thankfully it doesn’t feel like a haphazard plot like Warden’s Keep or overly exhausting as Darkspawn Chronicles, but like… it still shares the same problem of being too short to really mean much. Plus, I don’t know, I think I’d rather have one centered on Zevran’s dilemma. I was very satisfied with what Leliana told that I wasn’t burning for more, meanwhile Zevran’s monologuing on his turning point is vague enough to really make something out of it.

Still though, it’s good enough. This time it actually does feel like a 1-2 hour side adventure for starters, not to mention it really lets you get a feel for how hilariously busted the dual-wielding rogue/dodge-tanking warrior/mage composition is in DAO alongside again, all the quirky funny bits you can partake in. This is already a game with hit-and-miss DLC content, so this standing out as something I can replay after each new session without it being out of obligation means something. Plus, going through this and doing a specific quest unlocks Battledress of the Provocateur, which of all the busted-ass armaments the DLCs inserted onto the base game (and Awakening) through one reason or another, this stands out for being, hands down, the single best armor you could give to a Rogue. I had to willingly stop myself short of equipping it onto my MC on top of every other item I wanted to get some semblance of balancing in a game already uneven in that regard.

Since every epic/dark fantasy setting needs cryptic and mischievous witches, David Gaider penned up Flemeth and Morrigan, two of the big players in the series’ overarching narrative. I kinda don’t want to spend too much time on Flemeth due to this, but she is important for Morrigan’s upbringing, what with the seclusionist mindset and unyielding manner for her to go out and explore much beyond their hut habitat, as well as that whole near-venomous nurture mentorship that he may have likely been influenced from the same sources as before (and maybe some Obsidian roots too, but that could just be me looking far too deep). From the maligned and typically callous background comes a spirited sorceress distanced from societal norms and the expectations that surround them - then, the Wardens come, battered from the failure of Ostagar’s stand, and she’s now transferred over to help them in their quest against the Blight, her arc’s trajectory branching onto different ends from there.

I like Morrigan, a lot, to the point she’s one of my absolute favorites to have come out of the RPG genre, let alone from Bioware’s environment. With the fronts of sarcastic retorts and impish intent lies someone that’s clearly impaired and damaged by not only her upbringing, but her estranged relationship with the one who raised her to begin with. Navigating dialog choices and seeing which ones to choose is an activity I never tire of, simply because it allows me to witness new angles and details about someone I already know so much about. There’s always an option to turn her away, but continue to persist and peel the barriers away, you start to see her open up in the form of a ring doubled as a tracking tool and a gift born from kindling intimacy. Continuously so disproving and malcontent about the feeling of love and kinship that unravels the closer the two develops and the Male Warden continues to perpetuate and express this notion, that the facade breaks off, her reservation and sorrowful mind laid bare and disclouded for the first time. It’s a common thought for one to spout about a character “feeling real”, which is sometimes coinciding with the other thought process of “they’re LITERALLY me fr!!!”, but I don’t want to hyperbolize my position to that degree, especially since to get The Most™ of it you’re nudged into doing the romance even if you’re not into that sort of thing (and considering how Bioware does it, who can blame those). A lot of it just comes from the mere back-and-forth of the dialog, exhausting them every single time yet never feeling worn from it, and also the from how her skillset as a mage is utterly bonkers, being able to dish out damage from the backline with ease. The final confrontation with her in this DLC, where you raise questions and receive vague answers, culminates in three choices: stepping into the ancient elven mirror Eluvian with her, letting her go, or stabbing her as she tumbles into it. While not a major choice that affects succeeding entries, it culminates the type of relationship the Warden and Morrigan have, and somewhat in a meta sense, the type of relationship the player has with her.

So, that’s all well and good, but she’s only a mere subject of the storyline here - the real plot’s about Gaider and Co. setting up a lot of shit for future games. The Eluvian mirrors, stuff about the Inquisition, Kirkwall, even referencing Mage and Dalish origin storylines to build upon the state of the world. This is like, fine? It’s kinda like what Bring Down The Sky and Arrival from Mass Effect did, plus this being the last DLC Origins will ever get meant that it has to be an epilogue and not a quasi-expansion like Lair Of The Shadow Broker was. Thing is, You can kinda tell everyone was antsy to start DA2 up, or maybe it was around then idk I forgot a chunk of the development mess for that game, so the skill and difficulty ceiling has been far, far lower than anything before it. There’s a gimmick about revitalized sentinels powered by Veil Tears that you have to manage by first defeating them and then whacking it away, but that’s it, the rest are some of the most benign and lackadaisical encounters in the entire package. Makes sense, at this point you’ve played Awakening and/or Golems Of Amgarrak (which was my case, don’t recommend it) and have obtained numerous stat growths and high-level gear and skills so there’s no reason to be put up with a challenge, but it, combined with the most amount of reused maps and assets, accentuates that feeling of “getting it over with”. Even the final boss, effectively the last test of strength you will ever face in this, is a joke that can be paralyzed with ease with most of its attacks being minor annoyances. My LV 35 Warden with a 121 Cunning growth was doing triple-digit crit damage the entire time though, so it at least gave me amusement.

Oh yea, on that note, remember what I said about the confrontation? Yea, the weight of that is massively shunted if you let your Ferelden Warden die at the final battle, so instead you’re transferring the Orlesian Warden from Awakening onto this which like… massively deflates the whole point and raises even more questions? I’m not sure why this branch would really care at this point, and it’s not like Morrigan made an effort to establish friendship between other party members before she dipped so that others would wonder what she’s up to, so I guess it’s just like, a menial task they gave to them because idk they really handled that Amaranthine business. It’s a strange thing, in order to get the most out of it you have to import a Dalish Male character, where you decided to romance her for the sentimentality, and finally partook in her ritual, thereby limiting and obfuscating the whole “roleplay” angle the base game was going for. Even the bits of lore, setups, and especially that choice on what to do with her don’t amount to much because the outline the team clearly had in mind at the time was severely affected by a multitude of reasons and factors, resulting in yet more stunted worldstates on their mad quest to Make Every Important Choice Matter. It’s an extremely confusing DLC, and something I suspect would be marginally better if the team decided to pool all effort and focus on expanding this to be more meaty instead of creating GoA prior.

I suppose a quick summary of my thoughts is that it’s the inverse of my feelings on the aforementioned Lair Of The Shadow Broker from ME2. Instead of a really nice storyline with numerous and unique opportunities chronicling a companion I don’t exactly care much about, I got a storyline centered around a companion I really like yet is propped up by the most half-hearted full circle story beats available. As a result, I’m not even sure if I want to replay this in the future; sure, it’s another short add-on that doesn’t require much time with heavy implications for the future, but it doesn’t have the sustenance to bother putting up with it. A damn, damn shame, and what a lackluster capstone to end my month-long endeavor on.

I always have the same problem with the Dishonored games, if you play stealthily and try to do the side-objectives and find the hidden spots, you end up spending waaaaay too long getting through some of the later areas. You might spend 4-5 hours getting through a level.

There are five levels in the game, and I spent the first three playing stealthy, doing everything, and I spent maybe 12 hours on those levels. When I came to the fourth level, I had lost my patience playing so slowly and went berserk, ignored all the optional stuff, and ran through the last two levels in like 30 minutes.

So how long you spend on this game varies greatly. Everything from 3 hours to 15 hours depending on your aptitude for stealth.

This long-winded stealth pacing is increased by the extreme amount of notes and books, there is lore everywhere, and if you try to read it all, the game feels like it stops and starts constantly. I have no idea why reading lore is a thing included in practically every room in the game. Backwards design IMO.

BUT, the game has some great levels, intricate and thoughtfully designed with a lot of detail and things to find. The teleporting ability is as great as ever, and figuring out how to clear an area of guards is very satisfying.

Overall the gameplay and abilities are great and the levels are fantastic, making the Dishonored experience still a great one. But the long-winded pacing for stealth players, the frankly dumbass story, and how the AI can't keep up at times, holds it back.