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JRaq702's avatar
JRaq702
Seasoned Traveler
2 months ago

Lucanis Romance Super Disappointing

I had to stop bringing Neve with me because he flirts so obviously with her and gives me scraps. Being one of the clear forefront winners for romance before the release, wtf were the writers thinking? It's honestly bumming me out so hardcore how I get literally nothing from this man and I was so excited to try out enemies to lover, tortured spirit, anything but man... If the writers just wanted him to date the other characters instead of Rook then why even make him romancable? I'm more than 20 hours in and beyond the coffee date scene (and picking the right choice since Im also playing a crow) I've gotten BARELY ANYTHING.

I truly hope this gets fixed in the future because I think there is enough commotion on reddit and elsewhere to bring it to attention. I get this isn't any Larian but c'mon, romances are one of the biggest things in DA. 

PLEASE GIVE US A REAL LUCANIS ROMANCE.

UPDATE: After finishing the game yesterday I just wanted to share my thoughts. I see what angle they were trying to go down with Lucanis, like an absence makes the heart grow fonder type thing and I don’t actually hate the romance once you get towards later in the game. It truly is the first act into beginning of second act that needs work and too much Neve connection that was clearly more priority then whatever was happening with Rook dialogue. Playing as a Crow Mage I think gave me better options and just never ever putting Neve and him together period is how I was able to get through it. I truly think there needs to be some sort of blocker between Neve and Lucanis where whatever flirty banter stops the moment you choose to romance one of them however and I hope that gets patched in because it really does ruin the dynamic,  more interest needs to actually be shown to Rook, you know, the **bleep** main character. Because everyone’s right, you just feel like a third wheel if you want to include Neve in your party with him and it sucks I had to basically bench her (and clearly volunteered her for certain choices but also think that works for her hardened character tbh).

I hope they actually listen to their players for once because this game could be great, I liked the main story, graphics are gorgeous, but character development is so important and I think they dropped the ball hard on that with Rook and her connections to her team in general on top of the romance.

  • DexiDerp's avatar
    DexiDerp
    Seasoned Adventurer

    Neve even gets a big role in his Inner Demons quest that has a line from Spite hinting about his potential feelings for her, with absolutely no reference to how he feels about Rook at all, not even in the little notes. It’s garbage! How did they go from the romances in Inquisition to this…? Why would they even pair off the spares if you’re not going to make sure their core romance with the player character is finished first?

    • MadameDizzy's avatar
      MadameDizzy
      Seasoned Newcomer

      OMG thank you! I was wondering if I was the only one feeling that way regarding his romance and I honestly kind of regret going for him now as to be honest it feels SO CLEARLY meant to be with Neve. Because of the venatories I would take them both along quite often in Treviso and Minrathous and I started to notice a lot of flirting even more so than Rook who's been choosing romance options everytime. I was like alright, I'll just take that as playful flirt and surely the MC will get something soon. Nope. Nothing. Then that scene in Inner Demons was the nail in the coffin, Spite making this painfully obvious that Neve is on his mind this way and nothing regarding Rook I was like, what??? Such an odd choice from the writers to include this possible romance MORE than your own main character. I know it's just a video game and all but Dragon Age has always been amazing with their characters and it's been so dumbed down to nothing for Rook and you're just...there, whilst everybody actually bonds. Really weird and disappointing unfortunately! 

    • Nobody0608's avatar
      Nobody0608
      Seasoned Newcomer

      We didn't find a copy of Rook in Lucanis' mind, but we did find a copy of Neve. It's obvious who is most important to him.🙄

    • JRaq702's avatar
      JRaq702
      Seasoned Traveler

      Exactly!! I mean can I play it off as if the demon is trying to make me jealous? Yeah I guess but kinda sad I have to make up my own storytelling to fit the narrative when that should be the writers job. 

  • xgembus's avatar
    xgembus
    Seasoned Newcomer

    I think it's horrible that you can't even romance Lucanis after choosing Minrathous. I saved Treviso and romanced Lucanis on the first playthrough. On my second, I chose to save Minrathous and I have been locked out of the romance with Lucanis (when I wasn't locked out of a romance with Neve for saving Treviso), and there are these scenes we're forced to witness between Neve and Lucanis - beyond the general banter in-party - (plus a scene with Emmrich talking about the romantic date that Lucanis took with Neve - um where was ours?) and their "relationship" feels more deliberate and fleshed out than Lucanis x Rook.

    It feels like Rook is the second choice, especially since the writers were obviously trying to have them be bonded over the dragon attacks on their cities and their mutual crusade to protect their people/cities. 

    That would have been an interesting dynamic to have played out as the bond between Rook and Neve or Rook and Lucanis, instead of having Rook play the piece that comes between them. 

    Overall, I think that removing the ability to "chat" with your companions at the Lighthouse (the way they did in every other Dragon Age game), kind of limited our interactions with all of the companions. There's no opportunity to get to know them outside of their companion missions, which are focused and time locked. You don't even really get to hear anything about Lucanis' struggle with Spite until the "Inner Demons" quest. There's no follow up to how he's going after being stopped from going through the eluvian by Taash and Harding. You can't talk to him about the crows, his previous relationships, his life before Spite, ways to help him sleep or keep him safe, his adjustments or problems with spite, etc. There isn't even an option for Lucanis to say "Hey, Spite is really riled up by your presence, so it would be good for me to keep my distance for a while". 

    I just feel like there were so many opportunities to build a platform of friendship with Lucanis and the other companions outside of their fetch quests. I used to love chatting with the companions across all the games, looking to see if there were new questions or interactions. I really miss that with this game. It's just them giving you a mission most of the time.

    • JRaq702's avatar
      JRaq702
      Seasoned Traveler

      I super agree. I hate coming into the Lighthouse to just be chatted AT and not WITH. I honestly don’t have much issue with the game beyond the dialogue but that issue in itself is so glaringly obvious it really throws me from immersion and is kind of killing it for me. The only characters I honestly feel connected to are Emmerich and Manfred, who I will def try romancing in the future but tbh after over 90 hours into Veilguard it’s just making me miss Inquistion and Cullen lol. 

      I will say playing a Crow and pretty much restricting Neve to benchwarmer and bringing him everywhere with me instead from the moment I realized what was happening with Lucanis has helped make the romance “slow burn” somewhat explainable but I really do have to create a whole storyline in my head to do so and that should have been the writers job from the get go.

      The relationships were what drew me into loving DA to begin with so it is super disappointing after being so excited for VG to then be so let down by that aspect. 

       

      • libelleigh's avatar
        libelleigh
        Seasoned Rookie

        Not to mention you really just barge in to conversations most of the time and when you don’t they chat happily away in the Lighthouse while completely ignoring Rook. Why even have a player character? :(

    • 5d61f9d7183d3c1c's avatar
      5d61f9d7183d3c1c
      Seasoned Newcomer

      I agree 1000%. Especially when you take in consideration the previous dragon age games. Lucanis had limitless potential in his romance with rook but EA ruined every chance they got. Spite could have also played a much bigger role, we know he is obsessed with rook (one tiny scene) he is a demon. Spite could use the fade while they are at the crossroads or even Rook's dreams to speak with Rook. They cut out so much from this game, 1 and 2 are barely included. Morrigan and Varric, that's it! No hero of ferelden, Alistair, Hawke, Anders, etc. This should have been a masterpiece but the layoffs and people leaving really affected the game. 

  • rosacamilla's avatar
    rosacamilla
    Seasoned Novice

    I agree, I feel like I’m the third wheel in Lucanis romance. I get that all the romances are different and his is supposed to be slow burn, but it is more like Rook yearning for Lucanis that is barely interested. I’ve seen a lot of comments that people wish it would have an arc where Lucanis has feeling for Rook, but stays away to keep Rook safe from Spite that is obsessed with Rook or that the romance would benefit if it had moments like in Cullen’s romance instead of necessarily having something super spicy. But yeah, the worst is that they seem to like Neve more than Rook.

    • rosacamilla's avatar
      rosacamilla
      Seasoned Novice

      Oh and also the fact ther they ”commit” to the relationship by Lucanis making Rooks favorite dessert, for everyone. Instead of having a conversation about them.

      • JRaq702's avatar
        JRaq702
        Seasoned Traveler

        There’s a couple of nice moments you can catch if Emmerich is in your party and Lucanis will tell him how just being around Rook makes him happy or agreeing with Neve that he’s smiling more because Rook is good for him (I refused to bring her anywhere with us anymore after the first hint of flirtation lol) but those moments are few and far between even after locked into romance with him. I agree, making dessert for everyone else? Literally just helped you confront your inner demon literally but that’s all I get after that? Can’t even kiss the man! It just feels so lackluster at times and then you think “Well maybe if I keep playing further it will get better” and if you play out your own narrative in your head it can kinda be ok but I shouldn’t have to build my own way back to immersion. 

  • cornerbite's avatar
    cornerbite
    Seasoned Scout

    The Neve romance isn't much better. Barely any real interactions beyond capers, no real "scene". I never used Lucanis so I didn't hear any of the banter, but I suspect it's much the same. Very disappointing. 

    I'll have to put them in a party to see if they flirt even when she's 'committed' to Rook. 

    EDIT: I started a new playthrough and well, you guys are right. They CLEARLY intended Nev and Luca from the jump. Every single interaction with him, he's asking about Nev, thinking about Nev, wanting to get something for Nev, wow. She's not QUITE as bad,  but she does still mention him quite a lot for someone that doesn't trust the mage-killer. 

    Devs, please do better. While it's cute that some of them can pair off on their own, this is just over the top annoying for the player character interested in the companion quests for either of these two. 

    • DexiDerp's avatar
      DexiDerp
      Seasoned Adventurer

      I noticed it from the jump with his line in Inner Demons, and it was the turning point that made me realize his relationship with Rook was awful and underdeveloped, and it was going to stay that way. It was one of those “well…that was weird…” moments that made me realize just how little Rook affects the companions outside of their very specific story missions, and even inside them. Rook is not the main character and not the glue holding everyone together like Hero, Hawke, or Quizzy.

      I have no idea why they thought giving the romances more lines about each other than about the player character was a good idea. Thinking about the time spent writing and recording those lines while Rook’s relationships with the companions suffered in purgatory makes me want to vomit lol I don’t care about how Neve and Lucanis feel about each other! I’m the player character! How do they feel about ROOK? How do they interact with ROOK? Why am I watching them fall in love and still able to flirt with them?

      Please, someone tweet something or post something and put us out of our misery; why did this happen and is it possible to fix it? Do you hear us?

      • cornerbite's avatar
        cornerbite
        Seasoned Scout

        They didn't seem to hear us when we were all screaming at them that we weren't feeling the combat, POV, 2 companions in the world only, and a handful of other things pre-release. Why would they listen post-release? 

        I am not holding out any hope that they are going to add or fix content - the game probably didn't even sell enough copies to break even much less encourage them to make adjustments like Larian did with their game. 

        I can't believe we came from Inquisition to this. Like it or hate it, Inquisition was at least a complete, total product that really put the player character at the center of the story.

  • +111111 That really disapoiting, we have inquisition with Cullen, Solas, Dorian, Blackwall, Bull... Romances with real fire and the possibility to interact with them has we want. The romances is a part of the all story.
    Here... you gave nothing and Lucanis romance is the worst of them. After the "no kiss" scene, i have a party banter with taash, telling we are together ? 
    Like what ?! Oo Sorry but, i wasn't there or i missed something ? That make no sence.
    And yes, Lucanis et Neve interact more than we can do with him, and for real, all other compagnon interact more like we do.
    I played since the first one and, the romance was a big part of the story. Don't lose the soul of Dragon Age, you made a good story but, we ask you to approve the romance of Lucanis. This caracter deserve much better. Pls, made beautiful scenes for him.

    A beautiful patch like Larian does will be perfect :)

  • Well, I'm glad I read all of this!  I started a playthrough romancing Davrin and good grief it moved so slow and bland.  Every time I came back to the Lighthouse they had him placed somewhere else talking to another companion, sort of like they are preventing you from talking to your love interest.  And, after reading enough, I see that is the deal with every romance you try.

    With Davrin, I did get a comment from Emmerich about Davrin and I, but outside of a quick kiss and a couple of adventures with Assan, that's about it so far.  Just bland and boring.

    I also started a playthrough to romance Lucanis and the scene before the coffee shop scene where he tell Teia to stop flirting with this... colleague, then the coffee scene is okay I guess - kind of hints at what should be things to come.  Only it never does, right?

    Sad, sad, sad.  I could have written better stuff than this.   There is almost no reason for this to be rated mature.

    • 17787bdce550e5c7's avatar
      17787bdce550e5c7
      Seasoned Traveler

      Ironically to your user name because I've been thinking about this -- after getting locked out of Lucanis, I went for Davrin. I actually really enjoyed Davrin's romance for what it was -- anything was better than the awfulness I had just been handed. Which ticked me off even more that Davrin's romance was overshadowed by my continued outrage about Lucanis. The game refused to stop rubbing in my face that they ripped the Lucanis romance away from me. Davrin had one super hot moment when flirting, I was actually fanning myself a little bit, and had hope that there would be major payout. Every time I thought, maybe it's for the best that it didn't work out with Lucanis -- Davrin's mega hot, emotionally available, AND I can get a griffon stepkid? HELL YEAH. I can overlook the repetitive conversations that don't do anything to move his story forward, and the bizarre obsession with the game about fiber and griffon poop, I feel like there are plenty of other things that could have served Davrin's precious voice time better. But then I had to be affronted with Neve and Lucanis flirting, Lucanis asking me dating advice for Neve like we're best friends (like what???? I was not the one who wanted to end this romance, I don't give a !@#$ about your gooseberry pie, Mr. I Don't Have Time.)

      I had the thought that they ended up doing for Davrin what BG3 failed to do for Wyll. Both of them being lawful good. Davrin is a great example of being a good guy who also has that sexy undertone when he wants. 

      BUT I feel like BioWare Wyll'd every single character including Davrin by the end in making Rook decide their fates for them, in such a binary simplistic way. What the hell. Every single character I was screaming inside because I could think of at least three additional choices to make for them instead of the super weird and frankly insulting two that I utterly disagreed with, or hated the results of. For every single character.

      Also, I think the marketing team in dread and terror saw how popular BG3 was and why, and tried to like sneak DATV into the nest like we wouldn't notice??? Deep and complex romance, mature themes, nudity! There was NO nudity I saw outside of the character creation, none. Why have that be a thing if it's not a thing? And the initial awesome flirting with Davrin sadly devolved into a sterile nothing burger in the end.

      The entire game was so watered down that it lost all flavor. Super sad. I can't believe how much they botched it when it came to the characters.

      • WyllRavengard's avatar
        WyllRavengard
        Seasoned Scout

        I completely agree with everything you said.  I chose Davrin to try to romance first, partly because Larian botched up so many things about Wyll's romance (modders have fixed a few thinigs here and there, but not the overall disdain that Larian seemed to have for Wyll) and was hoping, according to the marketing like you said, that DATV did all of this right!

        But, what seemed like a nice little romance starting, turned into repetitive food and poop scenes with Davrin, like you mentioned.  So, I started another game to romance Lucanis - I mean, he's Italian right - a natural romantic... am I right?  In looking for some way to get word to BioWare (haven't found much of a way to do that) how much they blew it, I found all the info on this board and now I'm depressed even about Lucanis.  And, you hit the nail on the head about Lucanis asking for dating advice with Neve while I'm "trying" to romance Davrin - now that I know the whole story, that just sucks that they throw that in your face!

        It's almost like they intentionally made all these romances and side romances, and as I'm finding out now there is no nudity - all to just say "screw you fans for now liking Anthem," or something... I don't know what could have been in the minds of those who surely knew of all the success that BG3 has had, and surely they looked at mod resources *(Nexus Mods an obvious place) to see what all the fans really wanted to see in a game - you can tell what they didn't get right in a game by what mods are usually made and become popular.  It makes me wonder if humans or an "up and coming" AI is actually running EA and BioWare.

        So, I'm at the point of no return in the story with Davrin - now that I know nothing more happens, I don't really have anything much pulling me back to finish the game.  Just the obvious curiosity of what happens in the end in general is the only thing - I obviously won't be happy with any of the romantic endings.

        This game is fit for young innocent fans, not adults!  Outside of a little gore and a few slang words, there's nothing else "adult" about this game.  Given 10 years in the making, I'm fairly sure the cost of this production is quiet steep and with the results at this point, raise your hand if you think they'll make a profit.

        The best thing BioWare games have going for them, relative to other game studios, is that they actually take the time and effort to give the protagonist a voice.  Cyberpunk was too lazy to make a 3rd person cam - Bethesda took a step backwards from Fallout 4 (which had a speaking protagonist) to Starfield by not having speaking lines for the protagonist.  At least Bethesda games are easy to mod, though.

        I'll likely end up cancelling my EA PlayPro plan - I guess I can't ask for a refund of any sort for this game, but I may try just to tick them off.

    • DexiDerp's avatar
      DexiDerp
      Seasoned Adventurer

      Seeing these sketches has me fully convinced that the commitment scene we got wasn’t meant to be for Rook. I think they had to do a last minute pivot and just jammed Rook’s “commitment” into the scene meant for setting up the Lucanis/Neve romance. I don’t know what happened to his character specifically, but it is painfully obvious something is wrong. The Act 1 choice inexplicably locking him out while not shutting down the Neve romance, the reused scenes and banter, the lack of payoff for the setup in his first scene, and the weird anti-romance in his Act 2 “totally a slow burn, we swear! That’s why they don’t touch at all. It’s just pining! 👀”

      The reason Rook feels secondary to Neve is 100% because we just didn’t get the content we were meant to have, so Rook is getting crammed into a Neve-shaped hole. (Phrasing, I know.) I cannot be swayed from this opinion. 

    • Aloise_Revan's avatar
      Aloise_Revan
      Seasoned Newcomer

      I was already disappointed with the romance, but after seeing the sketches...oh man...It made the whole situation so much worse for me. It's like you went at one of the best places at your city to order a sandwich and they gave you a slightly burned toast with undercooked egg on top. And then one of the chefs showed you a picture of a perfect sandwich with the words: 'Well, dude I was going to make you something like this, but...'. On the other hand I'm grateful coz now I know they actually had a potential, but someone chose to ruin it. I wish I knew whose choice it was then I could send them a picture of my money with the words: 'There is what I was going to spend for the next game, but sorry, never happens.'

  • tinkietoy's avatar
    tinkietoy
    Seasoned Newcomer

    I have been playing DA since Origins. The story and romances in the first three games was great in comparison to DAV. I think the romances in DAV are lacking as well. I share the same views as listed above. I don't like how you spend more time focusing on everyone else's relationships but can't get enough screen time with your romantic interest. I think with all the people that were "let go" during the making of DAV has caused the things that most everyone liked about the DA franchise, to suffer. It's stupid that you can't get to know your character better. 

  • Dalvelo's avatar
    Dalvelo
    Seasoned Newcomer

    What I don't know is why we continue to call it romance when it doesn't show any of its characteristics: Lucanis never expresses that he loves Rook, he only seems to feel a deep respect for her, a contract, the only emotion that overcomes him when he is with her is the fear of disappointing her, of losing control with Spite and not fulfilling the contract. Even when Rook delves into her subconscious, there is no trace that Lucanis feels love for her: there are feelings for members of her family, for Hardin, what is she doing in her subconscious? And of course, of course, for Neve. But not a single mention, spoken or simply noted by Rook. In the moments of tranquility, when there should be closeness between them, everything goes to waste after the no-kiss scene (along with the first one in the cafe, the only ones that initially seemed to be going in the right direction), it doesn't matter if you save Treviso, Lucanis He will only talk to Rook about: revenge, coffee and paella (heck, I'm Spanish, and Bioware has managed to ruin my favorite dish, let's see how I enjoy it now without thinking about the idiotic crow who was unable to give the person in question a simple kiss. the one he was supposed to be in love with) There is no romance, it's a scam. In the no-kiss scene, something clicked in her head and she backed away definitively. From then on, you can see that she doesn't feel anything besides camaraderie or respect for fulfilling her contract, no matter how tender Rook is, how much she loves him. She does express her emotions, if she wants to hear him speak from the heart, let her take him for a walk with Neve, and she will want to die when she hears everything she would like him to say to her, intended for another.

  • Jalisbr's avatar
    Jalisbr
    Seasoned Novice

    I also romanced Lucanis in my game and I found it very weak... it needs more scenes and actions.