|
|
Post by GravityEmblem on Jan 24, 2021 12:29:10 GMT -8
I've never played Legacy, so I don't really have much to add. I will say The Architect and Corypheus are cut from the same cloth, though. Oh, of course. There's no doubt that the Architect is also a Magister who started the ritual that created the Darkspawn and the First Blight. |
|
|
|
Post by GravityEmblem on Jan 25, 2021 7:35:43 GMT -8
So, a couple years after the Corypheus incident, things started to really heat up between the mages and templars. A public argument led to Iris siding with First Enchanter Orsino (of course), although Grand Cleric Ethilina stepped in to deescalate. After that, she found Isabela rooting around in her stuff, which led to something of great interest: the location of one Mr. Castillon. They set up a trap, where Iris pretended to turn over Isabela to him (perhaps a bit...enthusiastically) and tracked them down to his hideout. We also found some incriminating documents, revealing his involvement in the slave trade. But he offered her a deal: the papers...for a boat. A boat. ...in the words of Iris, "DREAD WOLF WE'RE SCREWED! Run for the hills!" Although Aveline wanted to imprison him, she actually ended up gaining approval from letting him go. Aww...she likes Isabela.  And Izzy decided to stick around for a while before heading off, and she even offered to let Iris and Merrill join the crew! Double aww! Speaking of approval, everyone except Sebastian and Aveline are at max Friendship (or Rivalry), and Aveline has her Friendship perk, too. Plus, I've glimpsed that Sebastian will never join the Mages, at least from what I understood, so how he thinks of me doesn't really matter. Also, I did Fenris and his personal quests. Fenris met up with his sister, but it turned out to be a trap. Thankfully, we killed his ex-master and learned some cryptic things about his past. Sebastian's quest was about meeting with a secret agent, Sister Nightingale, who was said to be the left hand of the Divine, doing...shady business for the Chantry, where working in the open might sully the Maker's name. ...you know what? I'll let you guess who it was. {Spoiler}
IT WAS LEILIANA! And she talked about how Coriander was dear to her! TRIPLE AWWWWW Anyway, the Divine was concerned about the brewing mage rebellion, and how she may be forced to send troops to take action. Ethilina believed this to be nothing but trouble, and decided it would be a good idea to lie to the Pope's ninja sidekick and say everything was under control. Nightingale did, in fact, figure out that things were not under control. She claimed a war was likely, and the Grand Cleric should go to Orley's grand cathedral for her protection. Ethilina refused, much to the distress of Sebastian. {Spoiler}Anyway, I can imagine Coriander snuggling up with Leiliana, and saying "You KNOW, perhaps the Divine should, you know, take this as an opportunity for reform of the Kirkwall Circle, rather than, you know, quashing a rebellion and turning things back to the way they were, wink wink. What are you talking about, Grey Wardens aren't supposed to get involved in politics, nudge nudge." |
|
|
|
Post by GravityEmblem on Jan 25, 2021 10:24:27 GMT -8
So, uh, it turns out a High Dragon attacked the Bone Pit and killed everyone in it. So I killed it. And then Hubert gave me the other half of the mine. ...hooray?
Also, that potion to separate Anders and Justice? It doesn't exist. And now he's done...something in the Chantry. And he's being very coy about it. Coriander would have refused, because what's the worst that could happen? He kills everyone in the Chantry? That's going too far. But Iris accepted, because what's the worst that could happen? He kills everyone in the Chantry? It's not that big a deal. A bit intense, but nothing Iris can't look past. ...actually, that might explain why Sebastian refuses to side with the Mages.
We also did On the Loose, the quest where Meredith sends us after Blood Mages and Abominations to try to sour our opinion of the rebellion. It didn't work, of course. It's hard to tell someone "Apostates are all Blood Mages! They are evil and must be killed!" to an apostate Blood Mage. Also, I hope whoever made the loading screen of Meredith being corrupted got fired.
|
|
|
|
Post by GravityEmblem on Jan 25, 2021 12:45:09 GMT -8
Well, I did a few more quests, and now, there's only one left: the Last Straw. The final quest in the game. Wow, I did this in less than a week. That was pretty quick.
First, Merrill still hasn't fixed the Eluvian. After she got the component we killed a giant spider-thing for. ...it's been six years, didn't Morrigan repair it in six months? Without Blood Magic or the dagger thing? Then she decided the best thing would be to go track down the demon she got her Blood Magic from. After that, we discovered that the Keeper had allowed it to possess her, to keep it from Merrill.
...why? Just...why? And we had to kill her, which led to the entire clan attacking us and getting killed. ...WHY? That was...you know, I really feel like they built these quests on the assumption you're keeping her from repairing the mirror. Because...*sigh*
Varric's quest was a breath of fresh air compared to the...ill thought-out Merrill conclusion to Merrill's side-plot. Bartrand's old mansion had become haunted--by the Lyrium Idol, no less. Varric became disturbingly invested in the little shard that was left, so Iris made a good choice for once in her life and kept it from him, which he later thanked her for. Sandal turned it into a rune boosting attack speed, which I inset in...Bianca. Because that's not a poor decision at all. But, hey! The Rune + Bianca's Song + Speed= +75% attack speed. And, he also had a cute conversation about how it had been six years to the day that they met, and he was honored to hang out with Iris. Awwwww!
Then the taste in my mouth was soured by another stupid quest. So, a group of apostates and Templars conspiring to usurp Meredith, look at Iris, the crazy apostate blood mage who publicly denounced the Knight-Commander...decide the best thing to do is to kidnap her brother to make sure she doesn't get in their way. And when she confronted them, Grace went crazy and tried to kill Carver for...reasons? And then Carver was rescued, and was basically like "Oh, wow, thanks sis." and leaves. That was...umm...yeah. Stupid.
BUT HEY ONLY ONE QUEST LEFT IN THIS HORRIBLE GAME
(i'll deliver my final verdict once I finish)
|
|
|
|
Post by Daos on Jan 25, 2021 13:49:02 GMT -8
Things went differently for me and Merrill. We didn't kill her tribe; they just told us to get lost. Later, she smashed the mirror. Maybe it was because we were rivals, not friends.
Anyway, the ending of Exodus is...controversial, to say the least. So enjoy.
|
|
|
|
Post by GravityEmblem on Jan 25, 2021 15:04:05 GMT -8
Well...uh...Anders blew up the Chantry. I kind of expected that. And thus, the Mages and the Templars started fighting. Iris was asked to pick a side, and she chose the Mages. Of course. Everyone stood with her, except for Sebastian, who naffed off when Iris refused to kill Anders. The party withstood an attack from the Templars, but then...Orsino...kinda went crazy? For no reason?
But take heart! Because, according to the internet, they only added that part because the execs told them to add another boss fight, so Varric definitely made it up! As for why, there's a popular fan theory making the rounds: right before melting all his flesh, Orsino mentioned he worked with Quentein. What actually happened was that he let that slip, so Iris beat him to death. ...that seems like something she'd do. Then, it turned out that Meredith forged a sword from the lyrium idol, and that's why she went crazy! Carver and Cullen (and...well, everyone) abandoned her, leaving a very easy boss fight, since all of the companions were available. Then Cassandra left Varric, and met up with Leiliana, and explained that Iris was missing, as was Coriander. Time for plan B--the inquisition!
then the game ended
Yeah, the game's ending was very abrupt. But overall? It was a good experience! The combat was more about killing things in spectacular ways than strategy, but it gets more enjoyable once you stop trying to strategize and start killing things in spectacular ways. And all the characters were lovely, I enjoyed and connected with all of them. Especially Varric! Anyway, Exodus is arguably a low point for the series, but overall? Not bad. On one hand, I wish there was a proper epilogue. But on the other hand, Varric is a known liar storyteller who misleads Cassandra many times. I like to think that "Everybody left Kirkwall and slowly left Iris" was a bit...you know. Made up.
|
|
|
|
Post by Daos on Jan 25, 2021 16:24:55 GMT -8
Yeah, the ending pissed off a lot of people. Especially Anders blowing up the chantry and killing a lot of people, including Grand Cleric Elthina. Some were angry because they saw it as a betrayal of Anders characterization from Awakening (especially those who romanced him). Others were upset that there's no way to stop him from doing it. Regardless, it kicks off the Mage/Templar war, which is a big part of Inquisition.
The thing that really honked me off, though, was the Orsino thing. I sided with the mages, too. And we seemed to be winning. And then for no reason at all, he acts like we're losing, and he, the most powerful mage in the city--the First freakin' Enchanter!--decides to use blood magic to turn into an abomination and then attack us, his allies! (For the record, if you side with the templars, the exact same thing still happens; Orsino turns into an abomination and Meredith still goes mad.) It didn't help that I really disliked the combat in my first playthrough, so having an extra boss fight for no reason really was annoying. (I'm not sure where I went wrong, but my first playthrough's build must have been very sub-par. I tried to build Hawke just like my Warden; a tank. But his DPS was abysmal; fighting felt like trying to break down a stone wall with a spoon. It's why I had such a hard time against the Arishok, too.)
Anyway, the next game is Inquisition. It's sort of a hybrid of the first two games, in a way. It keeps the anime-style combat system from Exodus, but brings back a few elements of Origins like the overhead tactical camera and Origin's old companion approval/disapproval system, as well as opening up races again (not only can you be human, elven and dwarven, but also Vashoth), and the world trekking (this time both Fereldan and Orlais). The main thing to know about Inquisition is that it's an...sigh...'open world' game. This means it is by far the longest of the games, if you decide to try and 100% it, at any rate. (Speaking of which, there's an old meme about 'leaving the Hinterlands.' It's the area you start in, and lots of newbies get lost there for hours, wanting to finish it entirely before moving on, but the general advice is to not do that, but come back later.)
Anyway, here's the original trailer for Inquisition:
Wait, sorry, wrong clip. Here it is:
I did enjoy Inquisition more than Exodus, but less than Origins. Mostly because it was so long. This is also why I've only ever had one playthrough in it. I just haven't had the time to do another. More than the gameplay, though, I really liked the story. There are some fantastic twists involved, the return of some familiar faces, and in terms of making you feel like a heroic badass, it rivals Origins, perhaps even surpasses it.
My other big problem with Inquisition is they did away with healing magic entirely. If it were not for that and the open world aspect, I would rank it higher than Origins.
|
|
|
|
Post by GravityEmblem on Jan 26, 2021 6:01:21 GMT -8
I'm sorry to have betrayed your principles, Daos, but I get why they removed healing magic. In fact, I might even agree with that decision! (gasp!) In Origins, you didn't give all your party members an even or almost even amount of combat time, right? You'd always use Wynne (Anders in Awakening) because that's how good a dedicated healer is. The problem was lessened in Exodus by the greater effectiveness of healing potions, but still: unless you were on a low difficulty or had a Blood Magic-heavy party, you'd always use Anders. That's why they removed healing magic, because it was so good it eclipsed...basically all other magic. I haven't played the game, so I don't know if it's just a radical change that people weren't expecting, or if it was genuinely poorly-implemented, but I understand what they were going for.
But enough of that poorly thought-out filibuster. The game doesn't have a proper epilogue? Well, I'm making one. Varric says everyone separated from Hawke, but none of them actually appear again, so screw that.
Aveline came under scrutiny by the Templar reinforcements, but both the guard and what remained of the Templar leadership supported that she did not aid the Champion, only keeping innocents out of harm. She kept her post as guard captain, and her efforts went a long way towards restoring order in Kirkwall. The rest of Hawke's companions felt the need to get the hell out of dodge. Thankfully, Isabela had a boat.
She, Iris, Fenris, Merrill, and Anders started a mighty pirate crew, dedicated to terrorizing Templars, killing sinister villains, and robbing rich dudes who could afford it. They all got along quite well over the next three years, though they had many arguments over what name to pick. Iris still lobbies for "The Noble Order of Andraste's Granny Panties"
Fenris' rivalry with Hawke eventually led to his abandoning his hatred. Though he would never truly like mages, (and he still greatly disapproved of Blood Magic) he tolerated them much more than he once did.
Taken away from the daily injustices of Kirkwall, Anders slowly returned to his original, cheerful self. Without Aveline and Sebastian to advocate for punishing him, he ended up escaping consequences for his actions. But they still haunted him--his Warden dreams of Darkspawn now included visions of an exploding Chantry.
Isabela, Merrill, and Iris remained the best of friends imaginable. Even as Anders and Fenris left the crew after several years, they stuck together. Certainly, Hawke and Merrill would have a few adventures of their own, but they'd always come back.
Sebastian reclaimed the throne of Starkhaven. Fueled by rage and hate, he began building military power for an attack on Kirkwall, while constantly sending letters to the Divine, calling for an Exalted March. However she always declined. "A trusted advisor of mine warns against it," she always said.
Merrill repaired the Eluvian, and took many trips through it with Iris. She declined to explain what they found there. However, while drunk, Hawke has been known to tell the story of how she "Walked through a magic mirror and met some...sneaky witch-thief who bragged about fixing it in like, six days. So I punched her in the face."
And Varric? Well, his travels with Hawke were far from his only adventures (though he does consider them his favorites). But those stories, he reserves the right to tell himself....
|
|
|
|
Post by GravityEmblem on Jan 26, 2021 10:07:31 GMT -8
...Daos, my friend. I've owned Inquisition for less than an hour, and it's crashed 5 times. Twice, before loading. There's a strong possibility my journey through Dragon Age ends here.
|
|
|
|
Post by GravityEmblem on Jan 26, 2021 11:55:32 GMT -8
...Daos, my friend. I've owned Inquisition for less than an hour, and it's crashed 5 times. Twice, before loading. There's a strong possibility my journey through Dragon Age ends here. Never mind, it turns out antivirus software considers it malware and closes it instantly. I had to tell it to "just...allow everything. everything" That's not an invitation for questionable emails, by the way. So, Inquisition. Did you know it was kind of cobbled together from rejected ideas? Exodus was initially going to be a side game, but developers encouraged them to slap 2 on it and make it a full sequel, leaving their original ideas for the second real game for later. Besides Mark of the Assassin and Legacy, they had two more DLC planned: Exalted March and an unnamed one that was cancelled. So they incorporated parts of the cancelled DLC into Exalted March, but then Exalted March got cancelled, so they combined Dragon Age II, Exalted March, and Unnamed DLC into Inquisition. I hate it. First of all, combat is unbearable. Even in tactical mode, it's so hard to see anything, and to effectively control characters, and the graphic design is awful. It lacks both the tactical challenge of Origins and the wacky anime funtimes of Exodus. Second...the Inquisitor just feels so... flat. The Warden and Hawke were full of life and character, but Quizzy's just sort of...I don't know. Boring? But hey! The war map is...a feature. It is...present, within the game. It...allows you to...do things. Jeez. I hope it'll grow on me. Right now, it's reminding me weirdly of Skyrim. And not in a positive way. |
|
|
|
Post by Daos on Jan 26, 2021 13:54:29 GMT -8
In Origins, you didn't give all your party members an even or almost even amount of combat time, right? You'd always use Wynne (Anders in Awakening) because that's how good a dedicated healer is. The problem was lessened in Exodus by the greater effectiveness of healing potions, but still: unless you were on a low difficulty or had a Blood Magic-heavy party, you'd always use Anders. I did always have a healer with me, but that's because I enjoy playing the healer role. My main character in STO is a medical officer. My main characters in FF11 and FF14 were White Mages. Healing/Support is my favorite build to play in these sorts of games. But overall, it made the game less fun for me. I died way more often in Inquisition as I could only carry 8 potions at a time and had no healing magic. The game doesn't have a proper epilogue? You do find out the fate of all of Hawke's companions in Inquisition. It depends entirely on your relationship with them and the choices you made, e.g., did you give up Isabella to the Qunari, etc. Never mind, it turns out antivirus software considers it malware and closes it instantly. To be fair, at least in my mind, Origin is basically malware, so... Did you know it was kind of cobbled together from rejected ideas? Exodus was initially going to be a side game, but developers encouraged them to slap 2 on it and make it a full sequel, leaving their original ideas for the second real game for later. Besides Mark of the Assassin and Legacy, they had two more DLC planned: Exalted March and an unnamed one that was cancelled. So they incorporated parts of the cancelled DLC into Exalted March, but then Exalted March got cancelled, so they combined Dragon Age II, Exalted March, and Unnamed DLC into Inquisition. I did know all of that, yes. In fact, Varric was supposed to die at the end of Exalted March, so...maybe it was for the best that it never got made. First of all, combat is unbearable. Even in tactical mode, it's so hard to see anything, and to effectively control characters, and the graphic design is awful. It lacks both the tactical challenge of Origins and the wacky anime funtimes of Exodus. Second...the Inquisitor just feels so... flat. The Warden and Hawke were full of life and character, but Quizzy's just sort of...I don't know. Boring? But hey! The war map is...a feature. It is...present, within the game. It...allows you to...do things. It's been awhile, but combat reminded me of something from an MMO. But without healing. I don't remember the Inquisitor feeling flat. It was always Hawke that felt off to me; like he wasn't really me, but a preset character like Cloud or Geralt, where you have some dialogue choices but overall it's not your character, just the person you are controlling. But again, it's been awhile, so maybe I'm misremembering. As mentioned before, I've only ever played Inquisition once, which is less than Exodus (1 1/2 times) and Origins (probably a dozen times, at least). |
|
|
|
Post by GravityEmblem on Jan 26, 2021 14:03:33 GMT -8
OK, I now realize I haven't even described what happened. I mean, you know what happened, but it still means more if I say it. Kevlan Lavellen, a Dalish scout, was sent by his tribe to investigate a meeting at the Conclave, in the Temple of Sacred Ashes, above Haven. ...pretty sure that it got destroyed, but the official statement on the Origins epilogues are "they're rumors of what might have happened." Translation: they're canon until we need to contradict them. So, it's all good. The meeting was supposed to be an end of the Mage-Templar War which had been raging for 3 years, where key figures of both sides could unite under the Divine to negotiate an end. Then, it blew up. ...Anders, I'm looking at you, buddy! The explosion left a rift in the sky, a rift that demons could just walk through. Not quite a tear in the veil, but something different, more powerful. Kevlan awoke in Chantry custody and discovered that he had somehow absorbed the power of the Rift, allowing him to close them. Being a really grumpy Dalish traditionalist, he at first refused to assist the Chantry, but Cassandra and Leiliana insisted it was the best thing. He also met up with VARRIC  and a bald elf named Solas. He's an interesting sort, because he claims to be neither Circle, nor Dalish, nor Apostate. But he's a mage. (I mean, he's technically an apostate, but he's not a runaway, and I feel like he didn't just learn it from his dad, like Iris) Anyway, we marched through a mountain passage to reach the big 'ol rift. After an annoying fight against a Pride Demon, Kevlan woke up in a start, and found himself being praised as the Herald of Andraste. He...is a Dalish elf. He believes in elvish gods. Not Andraste and her granny panties. At least you have the option to sort of... allude to it. Also, Cassandra is already hating me. But I have a feeling she's too important to the story to huff off in a fit of rage. It was the same with Alistair, I presume, though you had a nice little opportunity to lose him later down the line. He also met the three main advisors of the newly-formed Inquisition: Leiliana, Cullen...and some lady. But I do like her--I sent her to tell my tribe I'm ok, don't worry, don't kill anybody, send love to my mom. |
|
|
|
Post by GravityEmblem on Jan 26, 2021 15:09:17 GMT -8
oh, gosh, i can't get over how horrible the combat is. Exodus combat was fine, it just wasn't Origins. This? This is awful. I hate it so much. It's not fun. Come to think of it, the non-combat sections aren't fun, either. Why am I still playing this?
Yeah, I said they might have implemented the lack of healing poorly. They did.
And as for Hawke...I don't know. I did really get into roleplaying as Iris, so maybe that's why she didn't feel flat. But I think the problem is that everything happens too fast. In Origins, you had a whole Origin to understand your character's backstory, where they came from, got some time to establish their personality. Every companion had a little introduction. Nobody felt like they were just pushed into the party. Even Exodus did this. You had the prologue to start getting your character all set up...you get a snippet of your backstory, none of the companions felt pushed in, especially with the opportunity to talk to them all, see how they've been doing...I don't know. Here, it dumps you straight into the game, with your companions just...joining you. They kinda did that with the opening of Awakening, but Mahairi was doomed from the start, Anders had a nice little establishing moment, and Ohgren was in the last game. And he had a nice little establishing moment. Here, the most you'll get is "ehhhhhhhhh this is Solas he a mage have fun"
|
|
|
|
Post by Daos on Jan 26, 2021 17:14:24 GMT -8
Kevlan Lavellen, a Dalish scout, was sent by his tribe to investigate a meeting at the Conclave, in the Temple of Sacred Ashes, above Haven. Dalish rogue, eh? Then your Inquisitor is actually from the Free Marches, like my own. Normally I always start with a Fighter. Fighters are simple and easy to use, so it's a good way to learn a game's mechanics without being overwhelmed by a caster's spell choices or a rogue's many talents/feats/skills. This is what I did with Origins. But then Exodus soured me on it. Again, I don't know if my build was very subpar or something, but I was terrible in Exodus, barely doing any damage whatsoever. Fearful of repeating that experience, I went a completely different path in Inquisition, and created a Human Mage. He was raised in the Ostwick Circle and had come to the Conclave as an official representative of the mage side of the conflict. His name was Daos Trevelyan, of the Ostwick Trevelyans, a noble family. Then, it blew up. ...Anders, I'm looking at you, buddy! I mean, knowing him, I wouldn't rule it out. Yep, Leliana is back! And so are Cassandra and Varric. I did, after all, say Varric was the last dwarven companion you'd ever get, so technically speaking, that was true.  But yes, because he played such a big role in Exalted March, which was cancelled, they decided to bring him back in Inquisition to recycle some of that lost story. It doesn't really explain why he's level 1 again and where all of his endgame gear from Exodus went, but, oh well! He also has dropped his Marksman specialization for a new one--Artificer. It mainly focuses on traps, something that hasn't been seen since Origins. Cassandra is back, although technically speaking, we never actually meet her in Exodus. Since I was a mage, her reaction toward me was particularly...antagonistic. I had to talk her into letting me have my staff back, as she was afraid I might just blow her up or something. I mean, she is a templar, after all. At the time, I remember thinking, "Hey, is this one of those situations where two people hate each other, then they fall in love, like in some sappy romantic comedy?" Then I decided yes, yes it was. And that's the story of how my Inquisitor romanced Cassandra; but I'm getting ahead of myself. Anyway, yes, Solas is new. He's a Rift Mage, which is the specialization I wound up taking (seemed appropriate). Basically, this class focuses on the Fade and the manipulation of it. Solas is quite mysterious, and often speaks in iambic pentameter (and approves if you answer back in it). He only romances female elves. He is, as you said, neither Circle or Dalish, but something else entirely different. It gives him a unique perspective on things. Kevlan woke up in a start, and found himself being praised as the Herald of Andraste. I actually had a lot of fun with this. As a mage, he assumed whatever powers he had must be due to some sort of accidental connection with the Fade. I roleplayed him as denying it, at first, trying to find a more grounded explanation. After all, why would Andraste choose him, a dirty mage, as her herald? But as time passed, he started to slowly believe it himself. All culminating to the finale, when the Big Bad demands to know what makes me think I could possibly win, and my Inquisitor shouting, "Because I am the Herald of Andraste!" (But again, kind of getting ahead of myself.) He also met the three main advisors of the newly-formed Inquisition: Leiliana, Cullen...and some lady. Josephine. She is Antivan like Zevran. She was my original choice for a romance, until Cassandra and my Inquisitor started developing a 'slap-slap-kiss' situation. oh, gosh, i can't get over how horrible the combat is. You'll have to refresh my memory, but what is it about the combat (aside from the lack of healing) that's so unpleasant? But I think the problem is that everything happens too fast. In Origins, you had a whole Origin to understand your character's backstory, where they came from, got some time to establish their personality. Every companion had a little introduction. Nobody felt like they were just pushed into the party. Even Exodus did this. You had the prologue to start getting your character all set up...you get a snippet of your backstory, none of the companions felt pushed in, especially with the opportunity to talk to them all, see how they've been doing...I don't know. Here, it dumps you straight into the game, with your companions just...joining you. You're right that Inquisition sort of jumps in media res, so to speak. Unlike Origins and Exodus, you don't slowly build up a party, one at a time, but get a full party right off the bat. Instead of a prologue or an origin story, you're just thrown into the thick of things. That is very true. However, that doesn't mean there's no fleshing out at all. It just happens later on in the story. All of the characters are pretty deep. I said before that I never really connected with any of the Exodus companions, except maybe Varric, Bethany and Aveline. That was certainly not true here; I came to love all of the Inquisition companions as much as I did the Origins ones, by the end of it. Well, except maybe Solas. |
|
|
|
Post by HorizonsDream on Jan 26, 2021 22:31:58 GMT -8
To be fair to the combat in Inquisition, I believe both Daos and I played it on the PS4.
|
|
And Izzy decided to stick around for a while before heading off, and she even offered to let Iris and Merrill join the crew! Double aww!
But yes, because he played such a big role in Exalted March, which was cancelled, they decided to bring him back in Inquisition to recycle some of that lost story. It doesn't really explain why he's level 1 again and where all of his endgame gear from Exodus went, but, oh well! He also has dropped his Marksman specialization for a new one--Artificer. It mainly focuses on traps, something that hasn't been seen since Origins.
