Dragon Omelette! Easter Eggs in Dragon Age II

Easter eggs are everywhere. Some are obvious, others hidden. Some things are intentionally put into the game, some are accidental, and there are even things that players have pulled in by the ears.

"Baldur's Gate"

- In "Dragon Age II", the quest "Expedition into the Deep Roads" in the first act resembles the "Imoen's Rescue" quest from "Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn". The goal and situation are identical: to gather money through side quests in the city to which the player has just arrived in order to embark on an expedition to distant lands.

No one takes a journey just for their pretty eyes!

- If you talk to Varric at "The Hanged Man", he will mention a waitress named Edwina. This is a reference to "Baldur's Gate 2", where the mage Edwin turned into a woman at the end of the game. This woman was also in the "Wounded Noble" tavern in Denerim and was a quest character.

- During combat, one of your companions may randomly shout, "If nothing else helps, throw sand in their eyes!". This brings us back to the BG series, where Minsk shouts to his "miniature giant space hamster": "Throw sand in their eyes, Boo!".

- If Isabella is in the party, then when you approach the Du Puy residence, reading a note about a reprimand for the templar will cause her to say, "Oh, will the squeaky wheel get some grease?". Minsk in "Baldur's Gate" sometimes says, "The squeaky wheel gets the grease!".

"Dragon Age: Origins"

- The main protagonist Hawke and his/her family are related to the Grey Warden from the mage origin story through the maternal line, whose maiden name is Amell.

- In the first act, if you chat with the bartender at "The Hanged Man", he may mention the rapid decline of the pigeon population in Ferelden. This is a reference to Sheila from "Dragon Age: Origins".

- In Bethany's Church, she may mention Leliana, saying that she misses her stories from Lotharing.

Songbird from Lotharing.

- Like Bethany, Aveline is wary of the Sisterhood due to the Red-haired Trickster in Lotharing. This is definitely a reference to Leliana.

- When approaching the Kunari camp at the docks, Bethany might recall that one of them killed her best friend in Lotharing. This is a reference to Wynne from "Dragon Age: Origins".

- Hawke's companion Aveline Valen is a reference to Leliana's tale about the legendary knight of Orlais, her namesake. Both Avelines possess traits such as courage, a sense of duty, and are strong women in a man's world.

- Among the trash, you can find a "request for the fire staff". This is a reference to a quest item from the mage origin story in "Dragon Age: Origins".

- There is also a reference to Puss in Boots when Merrill asks Anders why the cat is named Sir Lancelot, and who made him a knight.

- In "The Hanged Man", there is a portrait of Ogren near Isabella.

I wonder who in Kirkwall became such a fan of Ogren?

- The mace "Oathbreaker" is analogous to the longsword from "Origins" called "Keeper of the Oath", which is a reference to George Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" series.

- In a joking banter with Aveline, Isabella, trying to find out what Donnick is like in bed, makes several references to "Origins": "Shank your Jory", "Grey your Warden", "Master your Taint", and "Arl your Eamon". This was replaced in the Russian version with: "Did he make you squeal? Did he squeeze your kitty? Did he unearth your Eamon? Did he expose your galla? Did he mess up your Kirkwall? Or did he drink from your cup?".

- Additionally, there is a conversation between Anders and Isabella, where they reminisce about visiting the "Pearl" brothel in Denerim and an employee referred to as the "bed Warden".

- In both parts of "Dragon Age", the player meets Isabella when she is attacked by three men, whom she beats and sends running.

Isabella without a brawl isn't Isabella.

- When Hawke meets King Alistair at the Custodian's fortress, Alistair will say that Isabella looks different, to which she will reply: "Like everyone else". This is probably a playful reference to discrepancies in the heroine's appearance between the games.

- Alistair's line (if he's become king) in a conversation about Orlais: "It's not nice to jump someone." is a direct reference to his same line in DA:O, during their first encounter with Morrigan.

- If you import the "Origins" story "No Compromises" (in which Alistair did not become king), then he can be found drunk in "The Hanged Man", where Isabella will make a remark to him. Alistair will reply that she is exactly like Morrigan.

- After Hawke meets with the Arishok, in Gamlen's house the mother will recall Wynne.

- In a conversation with Aveline, Merrill comments that the kunari seem to like it here, to which Aveline responds, "As far as I've seen, kunari like nothing." Merrill insists: "But kunari must like things like the sun, rainbows, butterflies?". Aveline concludes the discussion with: "If I see a kunari admiring butterflies, you will be the first to know." This is a reference to the butterfly sword, an April Fool's gift (diminishing influence) for Wynne in "Origins", which he hates.

Surely kunari like butterflies... Right?

- Hawke's ironic line "Maybe I should give you a dagger so you can stab me in the back?" during Isabella's betrayal in the Shadow is similar to the Warden's sarcastic remark: "Maybe I should give you a ladder so you can escape me behind my back?".

- Flemeth's line: "Well, well, what do we have here?" is a reference to exactly the same first line Morrigan has in DA:O.

- The trash "Vial of Darkspawn Blood" is a reference to a quest in DA:O in the Korcari Wilds.

Other "BioWare" Games

- Anders, in his situation in "Dragon Age II", is similar to Wildflower from "Jade Empire", another "BioWare" game. Both heroes are vessels for two spirits, each having a good and evil side, and both are connected to them.

- In response to the question about the origin of the crossbow named Bianca, Varric will say: "Well, Mirabelle is already taken." This is a reference to Mirabelle's gun from "Jade Empire".

- The name "Fenris" is a reference to the namesake robots from Mass Effect 2, not just to Fenrir from Norse mythology.

Varric and his lady love.

- When Hawke buys drinks at "The Hanged Man", the drinking animation played is exactly the same as that of Shepard in "Mass Effect 2", even the withdrawal from the bar and shaking of the head.

- Teige Revann, mentioned in the codex note about stone spirits, may be a reference to Revan, the main character from the first "Knights of the Old Republic".

Other Games

- In the camp during the expedition to the Deep Roads, you can hear two of Bartrand's workers discussing the possibility of a "grue" (in the Russian version — "babay") lurking in the dark tunnels. This is a reference to the "Zork" game series, where "grue" were used as a literary device to deter adventurers from visiting dark places.

Literature

- In the second act, the quest "Catch the Thief" is named after the eponymous novel from 1952 by David Dodge.

Leto, oh Leto...

- Fenris's birth name, Leto, may be a reference to the science fiction novel "Children of Dune" by Frank Herbert from 1976. "My skin became foreign," Leto said of his changed skin. In both cases, these changes granted them new abilities.

Movies and TV Shows

"The Lord of the Rings"

- In battle, Varric sometimes shouts: "I have three, how about you, Hawke?" This is a reference to a scene from "The Lord of the Rings", where Gimli (also a dwarf) and Legolas competed on who killed more enemies. Ironic Hawke also keeps count.

- In "The Hanged Man", waitress Nora will mention that Varric told her about Hawke finding a pair of magical trousers in the Deep Roads that glow when Darkspawn are nearby. This is a reference to "The Lord of the Rings". Frodo Baggins had the sword Sting, which glowed when orcs were near. (Merrick in the novels about "Dragon Age" also had such a sword made of dragon bone. It glowed when Darkspawn were close). By the way, the trousers are an additional Easter egg that continues from the times of "Baldur's Gate", "Baldur's Gate 2", and "Throne of Bhaal". Additionally, you can find the "one true trousers" during a side quest. Perhaps, these are those very dirty pants from DA:O, but re-tailored.

"Star Wars"

- In a diplomatic playthrough, the end of the quest "All That Remains", namely - the death of Hawke's mother, is very similar to the moment when Anakin Skywalker's mother dies at the hands of Tusken Raiders.

That's how mothers of main characters should die.

- In "The Hanged Man", if you talk to Aveline, she will say: "A den of scoundrels and villains, every city needs a sewer." The phrase "A den of scoundrels and villains" belongs to Obi-Wan Kenobi, who described the Mos Eisley spaceport this way in the original "Star Wars" from 1977.

Others

- In "The Hanged Man", there is a man named "The Chatter" wandering around the upper floor. If you click on him, he will give references to series like "The X-Files", guessing that he is just a character in someone else's story, and dreaming that the storyteller would make him a little prettier. Furthermore, he will notice that everything has become much simpler, possibly referring to the simplification of the game.

- Both Varric and Isabella refer to "The Hanged Man" as a place where "everyone knows your name". This is a reference to the theme song from the popular 80s sitcom "Cheers".

...or maybe they don't like it?

- Hawke refers to the character Ugly Naked Guy from the sitcom "Friends", noticing a naked man out the window of the newly acquired Amell mansion.

- When you bring Bartrand the Deep Roads maps, he will ask how you managed to find them, to which Anders, if he is in the group, replies: "The mage magicked them up." This is a reference to the episode "Treehouse of Horror X" with Zena from the Simpsons. This might also be a reference to the comic "Penny Arcade".

- Upon first meeting with Gascard Du Puy, Varric will make a reference to the film "The Fugitive": "Twenty pieces of silver if he says: 'It wasn't me! It's the one-armed bandit!'".

- In "The Hanged Man", if you start a conversation with a drunkard, he will say: "That dwarf, Varric, said you were from Ferelden. And that you escaped from Mora riding a giant turtle!". This may be a reference to how Captain Jack Sparrow from "Pirates of the Caribbean" escaped from a deserted island.

- In the third act, after you use Sandal's enchanting services, he quotes the movie "The Uninvited Farm": "I see something nasty in the barn!".

- In the third act, when Isabella wants to use herself as bait, she will say: "Point one: I am bait. Point two: something is happening. Point three: it's in the bag!". This is a reference to a popular gnome episode from "South Park".

- If you choose the option "Surprise me" in the brothel "The Blooming Rose", one of the workers will say: "That's how he used to call his sleds when he was a child!". This is a reference to the end of the movie "Citizen Kane". (In the movie, the main intrigue was the childhood sled with the inscription "Rosebud".) He will also say: "... then he saw the head of a statue and realized that he had been on his planet all this time." A reference to the movie "Planet of the Apes". Also: "...and then he realized that he had been dead all this time" — a reference to the movie "The Sixth Sense".

- While traveling the world during the second act, Isabella will ask Varric about his new book. Varric will say that it’s time to retire his character: "He's getting too old for this crap". This is a reference to Roger Murtaugh's catchphrase from the movie "Lethal Weapon".

Will it pass for possessed?

- Anders and Isabella have a dialogue, where Anders asks the rogue about her opinion on mages. She replies that there is no point in being afraid of the possessed, because their approach can be identified by their cries: "Grrr... Argh!". This is a reference to "Joss Whedon's Mutant Enemy Productions", whose logo features a monster making such sounds. It appears after the credits of the shows "Buffy the Vampire Slayer", "Angel", and "Firefly".

- In a conversation with Aveline about Emmerich, she says: "Why not spend his old age building boats or something?". This may be a reference to Gibbs from "NCIS" ("Navy CIS"), who in his free time built a boat in the workshop in the basement of his house, and then took it apart, again and again.

- At the very beginning of the quest "Wolf in Sheep's Clothing", Fenris comments on the lady leaving with the thief with the words: "She chose poorly". This is a reference to the scene with the Holy Grail in the film "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade".

- The armor available from the merchant in the third act has 1210 resistances to electricity. This may be a reference to the "Back to the Future" franchise, where "1.21 gigawatts" of power were needed to get the DeLorean's "flux capacitor" to work for time travel.

Music

- When in the Shadows the demon of desire offers Isabella a ship, she will reply: "I like big ships, I cannot lie". This is a reference to the 1992 song "Baby Got Back" by "Sir Mix-A-Lot".

- During the travels, you can find the ring "Three Wolf Boon". This is a reference to the internet meme "Three Wolf Moon".

I don't know what else to insert, so let it be this.

- In the third act, there is a ring called "Sweet Thing", which can be purchased on the black market in the Lower City. This may be a reference to the song by Tenardier "Dog Eat Dog" from "Les Misérables". The song contains lines: "Here's a tasty ring, sweet little thing, you wouldn't want to spoil it, that would be a real crime".

- In the quest "Reining It In", there is a gang called "The Reining Men", a reference to the song by the "Weather Girls" "It's Raining Men".

- The quest "Friends in Low Places" may be a reference to the eponymous song by Garth Brooks.

- "No Rest for the Wicked" is Isabella's quest and the title of Ozzy Osbourne's album.

Original text and translation.

original

Thanks to Surt for proofreading =)

Thank you for your attention ^^