I Honestly Think That Like All Of My Issues With The Plot Structure Of Inquisition Can Be Summed Up By

I honestly think that like all of my issues with the plot structure of Inquisition can be summed up by this sign. It’s right next to a path up a hill at the Storm Coast, one surrounded by little boulders and rocks that have fallen. But at no point during gameplay does a rock fall.

Why bother putting this sign and the fallen rocks there if you’re not going to have a rock fall on the player?

Why include blatant character flaws in the companions that don’t serve much purpose beyond “rounding them out” by existing? Why have Dorian be focused on reforming all of Tevinter’s issues except slavery if it only comes up exactly one time in non-essential dialogue? That is a HUGE-ASS FLAW. Why give Sera such vitriolic self-hatred and internalized racism when oppressed elves are precisely the sort of ‘little people’ that she fights for? Why can the Inquisitor not talk about these things with them and help them realize that they need to change their thinking?? Can you IMAGINE the character arc Sera could have had???

Why can Clan Lavellan be killed if no one in Skyhold ever acknowledges it? The only possible purpose it could serve would be to provide emotional stakes for the odds the player is up against, but nothing emotional actually comes of it.

Why can you customize Skyhold if none of those changes make a difference? Why can you build up over 300 power at the War Table if it’s completely useless outside of main quests, of which there are ridiculously few?

Why have a storyline about Lyrium addiction among Templars if it’s never acknowledged that said addiction is entirely the Chantry’s fault?Why include Fiona in the game if all she ever does is stand in a hallway? For that matter, why make an entire game leading up to the mage rebellion if the ACTUAL BEGINNING of it is shunted off into a book that a lot of players won’t know exists and the rebellion itself is just going to be background noise in the next game?

Why are Alistair/Stroud/Loghain and Hawke in the game for literally about 1 hour (out of a solid 90, generally) if one of them has to die? The Inquisitor doesn’t know them. New players don’t know them. To have an actual emotional impact in-universe, they should be legitimately introduced into the story in a significant way. Instead they appear, die/leave for Weisshaupt, and disappear again. They do nothing; things happen to them.

There are so many signs for falling rocks, but no rocks actually fall.