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.
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.