Dragon Age 4 Should Reconsider Dragon Age 2's Rivalry System
With Dragon Age 4 on the horizon, fans are wondering what to expect in terms of companions, mechanics, and story. The main games each are a little unique in their gameplay, like Dragon Age: Origins gave fans the ability to shower companions with gifts to grind approval, and Dragon Age: Inquisition used war table missions that worked in real-time. Dragon Age 2, in particular, has become known as an outlier for its many differences such as not getting to choose the race of the player character, taking place in one city, and its recycled dungeons.
A lot of these unique differences made Dragon Age 2 the least popular in the series (though it has gained a strong cult following). However, there is still a lot the game got right, and that was in its characters and how they developed over the three story arcs. A big part of their development was based on whether they were friends or rivals with Hawke. This replaced the approval and disapproval system and made for very interesting dynamics, especially in the romances. It is one thing from Dragon Age 2 that deserves a comeback.
Dragon Age: The History Of Denerim
The Dragon Age series' greatest strength is its story and characters. Fans get very attached to these NPCs and want them to stick around. With certain characters that are not main plot relevant, a lot of disapproval in Dragon Age: Origins and Inquisition can result in the NPC leaving. Due to that, a lot of players grind approval, making it so the only relationship they can have with a character is a friendly one. The perspective is limited because only one way has the most reward and gets loyalty.
Dragon Age 2 changed that up, with approval instead being friendship, and disapproval being rivalry. Rather than have NPCs leave
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