Comparing The Veilguard’s Rook to Previous Protagonists

Sure thing, here it is:

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So, there’s this final chapter in Dragon Age called The Veilguard. We got this protagonist named Rook. Seems like they’ve got this big role to play—tying up loose ends with Solas, dealing with this double-Blight situation, and then there’s something about letting the Evanuris out from this prison in the Fade. I mean, it’s a lot, right? Anyway—wait, let me think—yeah, that’s about it for the plot setup.

But like, with all Dragon Age games before, there’s this massive shift in how stuff works mechanically. We’re talking Rook being real different from those who came before—the Warden, Hawke, and that Inquisitor guy. Each had their own vibe in the saga of Thedas. And the mechanics? They kinda paint who they are.

Okay, picture this: Rook’s this young upstart somewhere in the 20-40 age bracket (weird range, but whatever). Instead of a fixed backstory like Hawke, you pick from six factions or backgrounds. You know, like those personality quizzes? So, if your Rook’s got a Mourn Watch background, they’ll click more with Emmrich or whatever. Every companion reacts differently, which is kinda neat.

But, ugh, the dialogue. Despite having plenty to say, Rook just can’t shake the quip-bug. It’s like everything’s a joke. Even if you choose the serious stuff, it’s still snarky. Is that a problem? Maybe. But sometimes, it just works.

So, if we’re drawing comparisons here—The Warden had this freedom, you could be anyone except Qunari, which was cool. Rook, though, can be any lineage and isn’t boxed into any of that. Hawke was pretty different too, right? Only human, with this set age and all. The dialogue wheel? That shapes Hawke’s personality, like turning them into this community favorite known as “Purple Hawke.”

Now, flipping to the Inquisitor, they ditched the personality thing entirely, which—I don’t know—some people missed it. But it did open up more specific dialogue choices. Again, just like Rook, you could be a Human, Elf, Dwarf, or Qunari, but, poor Dwarves and Qunari’s storylines got kinda left behind. Rook though, gets much more attention to lineage.

And speaking of journeys, the Inquisitor’s journey was this slow build-up. Gathering power and allies over time was their thing. Meanwhile, Rook’s interactions are more up close and personal, especially against those Evanuris. But yeah, talking about it out loud, it does all feel kinda chaotic, but I guess that’s how stories weave in this kind of game, right?