The most controversial game in BioWare's storied fantasy franchise, Dragon Age II has received an abundance of criticism since its release ten years ago, and even EA recognized at the time where they'd failed. The first game in the franchise, Origins, garnered a great deal of attention, winning fans over with its multiple player character options and origin stories, unique maps and battles, adversity and an abundance of rich lore that promised to evolve beautifully as the franchise progressed.To say Origins was problem-free would be short-sighted, but the intensity of the experience and freshness of the game made it easy to overlook those problems. When Dragon Age II was released, fans looking for a similar experience found the game wanting. Not only were there very limited character customization options due to the fact that all player characters were either a human male or female named Hawke, but when it came time to start exploring combat, it became quickly apparent that BioWare had gotten lazy when it came to map development.Related: Dragon Age II: Why Sarcastic Hawke Is the Best Hawke

In a recent Twitter conversation, one fan asked the game's lead writer, David Gaider, what he would change if he could "Zack Snyder" DAII. Gaider admitted that first and foremost, one would have to omit the fact that because of how it was made, there were just as many good things about the game as there were bad.

The writers originally had big plans for Kirkwall, intending for it to not only start as an incredibly crowded and bustling city but to grow exponentially over the course of the game as events changed the world and the people. Between each act in Dragon Age II, about three years pass. In a city like Kirkwall, that would mean a lot of progressive changes. Those changes were cut from the game, but the timeline remained. Gaider felt that the passage of time between acts should have been reduced to months rather than years, as the city itself didn't change all that much.

Many fans also complained about the repetition of the levels, wherein the same dungeons were often used repeatedly even though they were supposed to represent different locations. Gaider didn't actually care about that, though. He wanted to see a bigger, more progressive Kirkwall with crowds of people and way fewer blood mages among them.

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hawke as a male in dragon age ii

Another cut Gaider would like to see restored was a Mage Hawke player character's struggle with the dangers of magic. All mages toe a very difficult line between reality and the Fade, constantly drawing the attention of spirits and demons. This very thing is what created all the blood mage tension in Kirkwall, but for Hawke becoming an abomination was never clearly a risk. Both Anders and Merrill, the core party's mages, struggled from beginning to end with the perils of their craft, but Hawke didn't really seem affected, and that made the character a little too good to be true.

Gaider also regrets the seemingly sudden clash between the mages and templars that dominated Act 3. He admitted that part of the game was rushed, and many key points that would have made the struggle more realistic and clear never even made it past the index card phase of consideration.

One of his biggest regrets, it seems, was when Kirkwall's First Enchanter, Orsino, turned on Hawke even if they sided with him in the endgame battle. So frustrated with the struggles the circle faced, Orsino himself finally gave in to blood magic, becoming an abomination that could only be stopped by killing him. Similarly, he wished there was a way to face off against Knight Commander Meredith without her becoming a red-lyrium nightmare. Overall, Gaider noted that he would have liked to have an option for Hawke to step back and say, "Mages, Templars, you're on your own with this idiocy," before walking away from the whole fight.

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As far as the companion characters were concerned, there were only two major things Gaider said he would have liked to change. First and foremost, they should have given Hawke an opportunity to take a good look at Anders and what he was doing so they could interject and say, "What is going on with you, man? How can we help you so you don't blow up the Chantry and launch a massive mage/templar war?"

The other thing, which has been a huge point of contention for many fans over the years, was that he'd grant the opportunity for a Varric romance. At the time of Varric's creation, no one could see him being romantically appealing, but fans highly disagreed after meeting the enigmatic, roguish storyteller. His status as Hawke's best friend, the person who believed in them so highly they wrote an entire novel about the Tale of the Champion when all was said and done, made him the perfect love interest, but he remained unattainable--even in Dragon Age: Inquisition.

It's highly unlikely BioWare will ever redo Dragon Age II and fix all those little things that made many fans cringe, but there are a lot of fans who still find those idiosyncrasies not just charming but some of the best parts of the game. Nevertheless, it's still fun to not only imagine how it could have been different or better but to hear the game's lead writer talk about how he would have made it better if actually given a chance to follow through on his vision without the time and budget constraints that often forced his hand and pushed him away from his overall creative vision.

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