#exalted march

[dragonagegallery]

Dragon Age 2: Exalted March (Cancelled DLC)

[artafix]

Aveline & Pony.

[leliwardens]

I've been a da fan for years and somehow I've never heard of exalted March? I'm really curious now why you think it knocked the series off course (I definitely agree with you though that it's definitely off course but I always blamed inquisition for that)

(context)

Hi Anon! And I wouldn't call it obscure but it's definitely one of those not very well known bits of media, kind of like the Tallis live action series or the short lived Warden's Fall series lol.

But to your question, first a quick overview for those who also don't know: Exalted March (I'll be shortening it to EM) was an expansion planned for DA2 that was cancelled, and despite what the pages say in the link (which comes from BioWare: Stories and Secrets from 25 Years of Game Development), it wasn't willingly cancelled by the devs as implied.

The first time we heard of it was directly from Gaider yeaaaaars back on his old Tumblr blog, and it's why we don't know a lot about it, because he said (paraphrased) "if you'd be disappointed about what we had lost, imagine how we (the devs) feel." (Googling "Exalted March DLC" also brings up much order articles/commentary about it prior.)

Story wise, it was intended to be the connecting piece from DA2 to DA3/DAI (or whatever it would of been at the time) but also a conclusion to Hawke's story. It'd of involved red lyrium templars behind lead by Corypheus, as well as Varric's death at the end to "bookend" Hawke's story as the "narrator" died. And, as the name also directly implies, involvement with Justinia and the Chantry leading an exalted march for Kirkwall on Hawke and friends.

(As a quick sidebar this makes a bit of sense now knowing this why Templar!Ending/Viscount Hawke says they were chased out of Kirkwall due to red lyrium templars...still a poorly written choice by that point.)

AND to actually go to answering your question: pretty much the cancellation and always great to have crunch meant many story elements had to be (in some cases poorly) reworked to be put into DA3/DAI or outright dropped.

I mean, even if say for example, DAO had no other material come out in relation to it, DLCs, books, etc. it is arguably a complete story from start to end. But DA2 isn't. Likely because they were planning more forward this time (well crunch and dev hell too), so with EM being scrapped that means so many characters and storylines lacked conclusive endings. Merrill's mirror being such a big one, and Fenris and the history of his lyrium markings being another, because they thought they'd of had something to wrap it all up with. DAI didn't bridge this all too well imo.

So knowing Varric was set to die prior to DA3/DAI does really feel like he sticks out like a sore thumb throughout the game, as he was never meant to be there (Gaider did say though he wanted to kill him again during DAI/at the climax which is v funny to me lol), but also Hawke's inclusion, Corypheus being poorly built up as an overall antagonist to the Inquisitor, etc.

But ANOTHER storybeat that's not mentioned in the linked pages, is the Temple of Mythal originally being in EM, which this came from another ask from Gaider's old blog. Which knowing that is like, holy shit it does make more sense for to of been within DA2!!! We don't know any details outside what was put in DAI and it's original intention of being included in EM, so this is partially speculation, but given we can assume there would of been a "choice" like DAI, it just seems much better it would of been between Hawke (someone directly rescued by Flemythal and did come into contact/carried a piece of Mythal for a time) and Merrill (Dalish elven mage dedicated to preserving history and even bearing Mythal's vallaslin). Rather than...it only being really relevant to a Lavellan lol. Again, purely speculation for the most part, but regardless with Merrill and a Temple of Mythal plot feels that much more fitting than what was in DAI.

Other bits we know of that were reused was the Envy demon (it was made specifically to for Sebastian, I don't know if it was going to literally replace him or just be possessing him, or if this was player dependent depending on how Anders was handled), the wedding only two LIs get in Trespasser (Hawke could of married their LI, and if they chose not, it could of been Bethany and Seb) with the wedding dress being directly designed for Hawke, and some other bits I'm sure I'm forgetting or haven't seen myself. (I did once see an answer on the Bioware forums from Gaider that implied Anders would be back regardless, but idk if that was EM or DA3/DAI or something scrapped entirely.)

So this was a longwinded way to say because they had to rework, rewrite, and/or cut so much from EM, and hastily paste it into DAI, it caused a domino effect story wise that forced every following entry in the franchise to play "catch up" to make up for having to bring this lore/story to the player and in many cases fully making less sense, like the Temple of Mythal. I think it hurt DAI overall with having to include these story bits, and caused a lot of bloat that detracted from what DAI could of had originally, rather than having stapled pieces on it. Also, as mentioned, lack of conclusions for much of DA2 and it's characters that was never really resolved.

(And pure speculation because I do what I want, I suspect this is also why Justinia and Leliana's arcs are so Strange in DAI because were intended to get something more with them in EM. WHICH I don't think is farfetched bc Justinia was to be involved, and I don't know why Leliana wouldn't of been given she was in both DLCs and two novels. There's never been any dev commentary on if she would of been included but I Want To Believe.)

[jackdawyt]

Today I’m breaking down the newly-revealed story of Dragon Age 2’s cancelled expansion that would’ve acted as a precursor to Dragon Age: Inquisition, planning the events of Dragon Age II’s sequel more accordingly, whilst giving our player-protagonist Hawke a good farewell.  

The DLC was called “The Exalted March” and was canned because of Inquisition’s scope, and the team’s shift to the Frostbite engine. Thanks to BioWare’s Stories and Secrets from 25 Years of Game Development book, we have an in-depth look at this cancelled Dragon Age II DLC with concept art and detailed plotlines to follow.  

I’ve already broken down the Dragon Age 4 related-secrets discovered in this book in my last news update, so I recommend you checking that video out for the latest on the next Dragon Age’s current project. With that said, let’s take a behind-the-scenes look at Dragon Age II’s planned, and unfortunately cancelled final-DLC.

“The Exalted March was a cancelled expansion to Dragon Age II meant to bridge the gap between the events of DA II and the planned sequel, Dragon Age: Inquisition. The expansion focused on the fallout from Kirkwall’s explosive finale, with Corypheus serving as the villain.”

“After the end of Dragon Age II, when Meredith turns into the big red lyrium statue, she basically infests Kirkwall and you end up with what actually ended up being the red templars taking over Kirkwall and being essentially Corypheus’s army, Dragon Age II cinematic designer John Epler says.”

“To stop him, Hawke recruited various factions, having to choose between groups like Isabela’s Felicisima Armada and the Qunari at Estwatch, forcing the hero to split loyalties and risk relationships in the process.”

“It was supposed to bring Dragon Age II’s story to an end,” lead writer David Gaider says. “And it was supposed to end with Varric’s death. I was very happy with that, because all of DA II was his tale. The expansion was supposed to start at the moment Cassandra’s interrogation of him ended in the present. And we finished off the story with Varric having this heroic death.”

“it tied things up and would have broken so many fan hearts, something the writers on Dragon Age notoriously enjoy. But between a transition to the new Frostbite engine and the scope of Dragon Age: Inquisition, the decision was made to cancel the expansion, work any hard-to-lose concepts into Inquisition, and in the process, save Varric’s life.”

“Concept art for The Exalted March explored new areas previously not depicted in the Dragon Age universe, with costumes that reflected next steps for familiar characters. Varric was going to war. What would he wear? With Anders (if he survived Dragon Age II), the plan was to present a redeemed Warden.”

“A character that vaguely resembled Sera in Dragon Age: Inquisition was first concepted for Dragon Age II’s expansion content.”

“The writers sketched out plans to end the cancelled Exalted March DLC with Hawke having the option to marry their love interest. This included alternate ceremonies for party members like Bethany and Sebastian if players opted not to wed. There was even a wedding dress made for Hawke. The assets found its way into Inquisition, donned by Sera If she marries the Inquisitor, or the Inquisitor if they marry Cullen. The dress can also be seen in an ambient NPC wedding after a chain of war table missions.”  

“The destruction of a Chantry was explored in concept art as it might have happened in Exalted March. This idea would carry to the beginning of Inquisition.”

While its bittersweet uncovering the story of this canned DLC, especially with the planned send-off having Hawke potentially marrying their love interest, and witnessing the explosion of the Conclave first hand as a cliff-hanger leading into the next game. I’m very grateful that BioWare revealed the development secrets of this cancelled DLC to the public.  

I respect Dragon Age II a lot, it’s a title that was given way too much flack by the mainstream considering it was created within 9 months of production, and had one of EA’s lowest budgets for its creation. Yet despite that, the game stands on its own two feet with a 40+ hour story, new protagonist and a roster of remarkable characters that join the journey.  

“Dragon Age: Origins had the longest development period in BioWare’s history. Dragon Age II’s was the shortest. Production of Dragon Age II officially lasted just nine months, while the team was still supporting live content for Origins.”

One of the biggest reasons behind Dragon Age II’s “different” narrative was the fact that the developers were working insane hours, with zero time for rewrites and revisions, meaning that the first drafts conceived for stories and characters were often the final outcome.  

In light of that, David Gaider felt that the cast of Dragon Age II were some of his favourite Dragon Age characters to date, he believed that the game had some of the best writing throughout the series.  

“As we were writing, I realized there was going to be no oversight – that everything was going to be a first draft. Because nobody had time”. David Gaider says. “I sat down with the writers and I said: ‘Look here’s the conditions we’re working under. A lot of what we’re putting out is going to be raw. We’re not going to get the editing we need. We’re not going to get the kind of iteration we need. So I’m going to trust you all to do your best work.’”  

In summary, Dragon Age II is a remarkable feat, and doesn’t deserve the harsh criticism in my opinion. I adore the characters, narrative beats, and lore introduced in Dragon Age II that have been fundamental to my personal enjoyment of Dragon Age.  

While, it would’ve been nice to have this DLC finalised for Dragon Age II. There are many fundamental aspects of Inquisition that would be completely different if this DLC wasn’t canned. For example, Varric would be dead, having no appearance as a companion in Inquisition... Just thinking about that as a reality - that’s not a world I want to live in at the moment.  

So, while it’s sad that this DLC never came to be, there are (at least) a couple things, like Varric’s life, that we can be happy about, regarding “Exalted March’s” cancellation.  

[magerogueworrier]

HERETIC WIFE!!!!

stolen from felassan's post bc :3c

[noitsbecky127]

it’s so wild that “a crusade that destroys a country is never deserved” is a controversial take in the dragon age fandom

[ladyinsanity]

Main reason for Exalted March DLC cancellation? Frostbite.

Mike Laidlaw goes into detail on how the move to Frostbite ended up being the reason why the famed Exalted March DLC never came to light.

More tweets after the 6:24pm tweet... (still going!)

Project Nugstorm

Codenames at EA

Codenames at EA, Pt 2

Exalted March idea and DAI

The Chantry and Qunari

Hawke, Starkhaven, Pirates of the Armada

EDIT: Here are the following tweets in paragraph form.

“The Chantry becoming VERY UPSET while various aspects of the qunari started to make moves on the turbulent Free Marches. And this it fell to Hawke to stop things from going to hell (again) while working with Starkhaven and the pirates of the Armada.

I recall fondly that for the big first panel we did at PAX west (prime back then) we all had shirts with missing letters. I recall fondly that for the big first panel we did at PAX west (prime back then) we all had shirts with missing letters. I still have mine. The missing letters spell out Estwatch, which is where the Felicisima Armada missions were based.

The Internet, as it does, had guessed all of the locations within minutes of the panel starting. You guys rule ;) Beyond that, there were some really interesting stories to tell, and a chance to learn more about Sebastian’s family. But as it stood, I think shutting it down was the right call to focus on the engine change.

One last anecdote: our marketing liaison at the time was -certain- our PAX panel would get no people. 9:00 at night, basement room (though big! Held 900). But you folks proved him wrong. We had to turn hundred away. And let me tell you. After parts of DAII’s “feedback cycle” that meant a LOT to me. And then we all sang Mark happy birthday. So good.

I’m pretty sure that experience was why Mark and I were so committed to a big gameplay demo for DAI at PAX. A way to say thank you.

And that’s my story! Thanks for reading along. /endMarch”

Send all your questions, concerns, likes, follows, and emojis to the awesome Mike Laidlaw on Twitter @Mike_Laidlaw.

[artafix]

I saw @paragondreams post about aveline’s outfit in the canceled dlc and ohhh boy. She looks great!

I wish I could’ve commented but my tumblrs broken 😭 aggh