Merrill’s final quest

One bright spot in Dragon Age II’s extremely uneven final act is the conclusion to Merrill’s story. The elven blood mage has gone against the wishes of everyone around her in a tunnel-visioned need to bring back a part of her clan’s history, even seeking out the help of a demon. Dragon Age II takes place across a decade, with Merrill at odds with her clan leader Marethari all the while, and yet the leader sacrifices herself to “save” Merrill by allowing the demon she had been working with to possess her instead. Merrill can insist this was meddling and you can be supportive of her or not, but the real people she has to answer to are the clan’s remaining members. Depending on whether you advocate for her or throw her under the bus, you may have to fight the entire clan on your way out. It’s a brutal mess that’s tied to the character with perhaps the most emotional range of any party member in the franchise. It’s such a terrifying, saddening web of contradicting feelings and subverted expectations, all leading to a stunning payoff.