Well, there goes my bugged follower theory. 😛 You should be taken to the follower selection screen as soon as you go through the eluvian, you don't need to climb back down (though do explore the room, there are a couple of crooked paintings that give you strength).
Some people have reported issues (not this issue, but you never know) with recent Nvidia drivers. Perhaps you could try rolling them back? ( http://answers.ea.com/t5/Dragon-Age-Inquisition/Screen-flickering-in-Dragon-Age-Inquisition/m-p/4856360#U4856360 is an example of someone who had the issue).
That's about all I can think of at the moment.
I rolled back my driver like you suggested, still getting the infinite loading screen ... wow, this is really starting to suck ... I tried getting in touch with EA support but even though the thing said the wait time was like 5 min I was sitting here for an hour and a half without getting anyone (groan)
Sorry for disappearing (blame my head, it decided to be extra painful for a few days, nasty thing 😛 )
Did you ever try it with a different character? A pain, I know, but can help to know if it's your character or game that's bugged. Unfortunately, haven't come up with any other new ideas.
Wasn't hopeful about the graphics driver thing, but thought it couldn't hurt, since people had been having issues with that driver. 😛
EA support's estimated wait time is always way off until you're actually close to talking to someone. Guess I've just been lucky the few times I've been on there, no long waits and usually end up with some sort of voucher at the end for my patience. 😛 I guess I also tend to have a million tabs open doing different things while I'm waiting for such things, so I'm kept entertained. I'd probably try it at a different time than whenever you tried last time, and never on a Friday night or weekend.
