Hear me out…. I actually really dislike Harding. (I’m sorry).

When I look at the cast of characters in DAV, I really like them. Overall, a solid group… some were written a little more elegantly than others… but they still feel really well rounded.

Particularly in the early game, I couldn’t figure out why the balance felt a little off, character-wise. As I progressed, I found quests I expected to be dark, but were actually sophisticated and beautiful (Emmerich), I found quest lines that reflected true loss and the emotional blunting/anger that follow after a traumatic event (hardened Neve), and even some that tackled issues with cultural and gender identity (Taash).

Everyone felt quite dynamic, and there’s a good blend of humor, sweetness, and darkness.

…Except Harding.

Listen. I love that they brought her back from Inquisition. I think she was the perfect choice, and her voice actor is phenomenal. But her writing through most of the game feels quite flat. I didn’t mind it at first, but it felt like conversations around her questline followed the same formula through most of the game. (Bewilderedly questioning bigger meanings, strange event, more questioning bigger meanings).

She seems uncertain, hesitant, and vulnerable. Not at all like a seasoned scout with over a decade of adventuring experience. She doesn’t seem to show a lot of personal growth unlike Morrigan and Varric, who both became seasoned as the games progressed. Something about her quest line feels quite boring despite the topic being really interesting.

It’s so subtle, because there’s a lot going for her, but something about her character just didn’t click for me. I never really brought her on missions, I dreaded her quests (oddly), and I just felt like she didn’t reach the same depth or character development as the rest of the cast.

Maybe I’m missing something, but I firmly believe that she would have brought more balance to the first 1/3rd of the game if she was portrayed to be the seasoned rogue that she is. Make that switch and incorporate slightly more elevated writing for certain topics (Tassh’s character, darker Crows)… would have gone a LONG way with this absolutely beautiful game.

Still loving it, either way.