The lack of an arbitrary karma system meant I could do so without fear of being pigeonholed. I found myself flipping between responses depending on the situation – actually using the full dialogue spectrum. Instead, nice-o-Hawke is just as judgemental as his chums loloHawke and HAWKE-SMASH – he merely phrases things with a touch more tact. I'd resigned myself to selecting the goody-twoboots option throughout Dragon Age 2, and cringing as I politely thanked the man who tried to stab my kidneys out. I've typically approached BioWare games as the reincarnation of some major saint, waiving rewards and helping puppies save their lost kittens. Only very occasionally did I feel neutered by my choice. The game's developers have nicked Mass Effect's conversation wheel and split most interactions into a threetiered system: saintly, aggressive, and – most fun – cheeky. His tone sits firmly on the plummy side of 'commanding', but very few of the dialogue options have him come across as anything less than mildly awesome. The third is unwritten, but simple: any way you play Hawke, he remains one suave bastard. She wants to fill in the blanks.Īctually, there are three certainties.

The second, that ten years later he somehow became the city's champion. There are only two certainties: the first, that Hawke arrived in Kirkwall.

The woman explains the situation: the world is on the brink of war and Hawke – the 'Champion of Kirkwall' – can help. Varric is a companion and potential party member, and knows more than most about his bearded buddy's motivations – but he's also an inveterate story-embellisher. The dwarf is Varric, and he's telling the story all wrong.

This is Dragon Age 2's big conceit, and part of the reason the game hangs together so well.

The dwarf is being forced to tell Hawke's story by a mysterious woman dressed in the robes and symbols of Thedas' hyper-religious Chantry. I killed the final Darkspawn, and the camera yanked out and away to a darkened room, and a dwarf with a hairy chest.

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