Well, you honorable warrior, why did you destroy the scaffolding in the first place? It was in first hour of game play and your actions got Varric almost killed and another companion badly hurt. Not to mention that your "honorable" actions brought Thedas on brink of destruction. You should take this argue to those who said "this is a Disney game" misleading you so bad that you though the main story is breaking barrels. Loot is a concept present in any RPG games in case you wonder. Even Mario (despite the game type) was collecting stars spoiling the view so you should got use to that already.
Can't make an omelet without breaking eggs.
This defense is, frankly, embarrassing
First, bringing up a scripted event from the main story to justify a globally repetitive mechanic is as fragile as the scaffolding you mentioned. Confusing a planned narrative decision with a systematic mechanic that turns the entire game into a nonsensical treasure hunt shows a glaring misunderstanding of the issue. The problem here isn’t what happens in the story but the absurdity of turning Dragon Age into a “break-everything” simulator where collecting resources feels more like clearing out debris.
Second, trying to divert to an isolated plot incident only highlights how difficult it is to defend the mechanic itself. A loot system based on destruction has no logical or emotional connection to the narrative. It doesn’t enhance roleplaying; instead, it breaks immersion. Why would an honorable warrior or a charismatic leader be smashing barrels and vases randomly, like some medieval warehouse raider?
Third, comparing Dragon Age to Mario is, at best, laughable. Let’s make this clear: Dragon Age is a AAA Western RPG that positions itself as a mature, narrative-driven experience. Mario is a platformer designed for casual fun with simple mechanics. Making this comparison is like trying to justify "Game of Thrones" using "Tom & Jerry" logic. Dragon Age deserves more respect than being placed on the same level as games with such vastly different purposes.
Finally, the cliché phrase “you can’t make an omelet without breaking eggs” is an insult to the discussion. Sure, you can make a good omelet, but BioWare clearly used rotten eggs when implementing this mechanic. Cheap comparisons and generic metaphors won’t hide the fact that breaking barrels as a method of progression is not only lazy but also a disrespect to the level of complexity and maturity that Dragon Age fans expect.
If you genuinely believe that loot “justifies” this primitive approach, perhaps it’s time to reevaluate what you expect from a quality RPG.
