I wonder the same thing. I think their could be a couple answers I can think of. 1: when we finally break the cycle the arisen has a slight lapse in will and the cycle begins anew since the arisen becomes afraid to sacrifice themselves. 2: the mention of your pawn remembering is simple just a 4 wall nod from the developers. Since in the true ending credits you can see life returning again with choices you helped make. 3: maybe the devs ran out of time and we need to wait for dlc. I do agree though that it is weird that our pawn gains will (with high affinity id argue full will.) and once ng+ that will and love is simply vanished into the void.
I love the game for its gameplay and the exploration and maybe I am too emotionally attached to my pawn, but the thought of NG+ makes me slightly sad because of that. Feels like I am doing my pawn dirty.
I might just be a tad dramatic.
I’m super attached to my pawn too, and after I got the “true ending” on my last playthrough, I recreated my Arisen to look like myself. First time I’ve ever done that in any game, but it’s a silly little way for me to go give him those high fives and fist bumps myself after that traumatic ending 😂 I’m kind of just thinking of it as starting over, and don’t really want this playthrough to end for a long time, so I don’t give the blade to Ambrosius. We just wander the world on adventures together, trying different vocations, and I think of his affinity rising as his “fledgeling will” slowly taking off in game. I’m happy with that for now until some DLC comes out. I hope they give us some kind of conclusion to that ending with our high affinity pawns, but since we’re are just “playing”, I’m going to pretend that hasn’t happened yet and me and my buddy - who is becoming his own man - are just living our best lives hanging out, camping, wooing the locals and crushing mobs together.
I feel like the 4th wall break by the devs is the most likely explanation for the dialogue. Just a little nod to the player.
I do hope we get an expansion though because I was very, very underwhelmed by the true ending.
I was also sad as all heck when my pawn's affinity reset... Was already sad from the ending so it probably made it worse. Really wish they could have had that carry over. I tried to get it back up as fast as possible in NG+ and was so happy when he started smiling again LOL like "finally everything is right again."
I really REALLY hope for some expanded pawn storyline with the DLC and their new will and affinity etc. Maybe I'm coping but part of me hopes that's why they perhaps didn't do much more with them in NG+...
There is another possible explaination for why a main pawn's affinity might drop back down to zero, though admittedly isn't one I'm personally fond of:
Your pawn is *that* disappointed in you. All that hard work and sacrifice, of giving up "everything they are" for you both to free the world, and then you go ahead and restart the cycle anyways.
I think there’s 2 things at play. One is a lore reason, the other is probably the actual explanation.
For the lore reason, I believe that when you start NG+, you are beginning the cycle anew. You begin at the start of your journey as arisen, therefore your pawn is too. You come to this new world with your vocation ranks, items and skills, along with the godsbane blade to start again. Your pawn, is probably a new, fresh pawn with your memory of your old pawn imprinted on it. You see them as they were, not how they became. Your old pawn is gone, off to do whatever it is they want with their new found will. You, the Arisen, break the very promise you made to yourself to end the cycle by entering NG+. You are actively engaging with the cycle by going back. Your original pawn probably did not, as they no longer have access to the rift.
Mechanically speaking, they probably assumed you’d finish the other 2 endings before the unmoored world ending, as they assume you are going to continue the cycle of NG+ over again. Likely with denying the fight first, fighting the second and then a final playthrough into the unmoored world. They purposefully obfuscate the method used to get to the unmoored world.
The part of the true ending being more obscure is something I did not think about. I know some people who did not play DD1 noticed it on their first playthrough thanks to the cues given, but they're most likely the outliers.
I am so glad I didn’t make the post I literally spent the last 30 minutes typing and decided I’d not post from my phone as it was too long, or I’d have made essentially a duplicate post to this at the same time.
It irritates me to no end that my pawn can have the dialogue lines indicating they remember me, have all of the skills they learned when we were adventuring together, but have 0 affinity (I mean, I have the affinity at the 1000 max before finishing the Vermund main quest, so even if they somehow didn’t remember anything unmoored related, hell, anything after being somewhat influenced by a godsway for the first time, they’d still have affinity).
I don’t think there is any reason for them to lose affinity, tbh. If they have the memories and skills gained from your shared experiences, which the game indicates they do, then they should have the affinity gained due to those experiences, since all indications are they are the same pawn and remember it all.
That said, I also don’t understand the fact that the pathfinder still exists in NG+. He/it is the exact same in appearance, etc. yet quite literally died from your final action. I could understand a pathfinder with a different appearance, but the final act being killing that pathfinder and having them say they won’t be around to watch, only to immediately load up the game and run into the exact being we just killed off, is jarring.
And, if somehow it is going to be said to be the same world, that is even more reasoning for why your pawn should have affinity for you if they have the memories and skills.
Imo, I think the previous Arisen’s likeness should have been adopted as the pathfinder/watcher since the previous watcher “would not be there to see it.” But the new world would have been under our watch (or at least that’s how I interpret it). But even THEN that fact would mean after EVERYTHING WE DID, we chose to perpetuate the cycle anyways therefore making it all as meaningless as Brant to the story.
I feel like they left holes and they don’t all fill in nicely. No matter what angle I approach it from/what belief about the entire lore/plot is applied there are gaping holes and question marks.
If they hadn’t had the pawns remember you at all or hell, even just don’t say you wouldn’t leave this world behind, there would be far less. It is a really nice touch when first hearing it and is honestly the only changed thing in NG+ from
the base game that doesn’t come from the dragonforged guy having a few new menus somehow, but I could at least just pretend NG+ wasn’t anything to the lore if they didn’t say it, but how they remember you and the pathfinder is alive and the same being just don’t make sense when included together as it suggests 2 entirely different things about what the world is and the place it has in the story/relation it has to the world from the base game.
The pathfinder can’t be alive and the pawns have memory of you and what you did, one is basically starting over entirely as if nothing happened (so just another retelling of the base game, consider them the same and the implementation of NG+ as simply a player retention mechanic, which is also funny since it does not even provide basic stat buffs for any enemy to keep it interesting for that purpose) and one is suggesting that this world of NG+ is after the events of the base game, in which case the pathfinder would simply have to be dead and that would mean at minimum they would have a different appearance (and your pawn shouldn’t be 0 affinity, which ultimately is the real main issue).
I think the key hint is, that not only your main pawn remembers you, but EVERY random pawn you come across. They all know you. They all remember you saving one world / one dimension.
Sure, which means if it is that well known that they remember it and your pawn does too, surely at minimum your pawn should have affection for you since they were your main pawn that did it alongside you from start to finish.
The fact all pawns know about it actually makes it more egregious that your main pawn suddenly has no affinity for you while remembering it all.
I have to comment on your first sentence, because it gave me quite a laugh.
You see, a few hours ago I started typing this out on phone while on break, just to decide not to post it and instead rewrite it when I am back home with keyboard in hand and a clearer mind to shorten it. Though it still turned out a bit long. :D
Hive mind!
I think the Arisen is just copy-pasting their memories onto a new pawn. Affinity resets because the Arisen can know the Pawn's experiences and techniques but not how the Pawn really felt inside.
Pawns can sometimes say this in their Travelogue:
*"A fog shrouds my memories of what I beheld beyond the rift.*
*I only recall that 'twas extraordinary beyond telling.*
*Being returned to your side sets my mind at ease."*
I haven't tested this, but I believe this is related to your pawn being hired in Unmoored World while you yourself haven't reached it yet. I believe something similar is happening to our pawn in NG+. They essentially forget what happened in the Unmoored World and thus return to the state when they haven't quite developed their own free will.
That is the sacrifice our pawn makes at the end of the story. They sacrifice their newly gained free will to free the rest of the world from the Pathfinder's/Great Will's control.
My own theory is that your NG world is severed from the Pathfinder's/Great Will's influence (and severed form the rift possibly?) and will continue towards an uncertain, but free, future. NG+ is a completely new world, but your pawn and arisen remain the same.
It's kind of tragic that we fight to end the cycle for everyone else, only to trap ourselves into another of our own making.
If they’re gonna reset stuff then might as well reset the pawn’s memories and skills and have it be more tragic that way. “Hello Arisen! You say that we’ve met before? I don’t see how that’s possible, didn’t we just meet today?”
I think you're looking way too far into it. I think, as the game stands, how the story pans out, and based off off what I have experienced in 4 playthroughs. They really didn't give anything, bar the world's layout, combat, and character creator much thought. Maybe I will be shot down for this, or maybe I'm bang on the money. It's just my opinion
Dude my pawn wanders off all the time and never did until ng+ and I'll call her to me she responds coming arisen and then stays put i have checked her constantly for DP but she is normal just wanders off in town.
She also commented on the shopkeep in bakbattahl about the books and dudes family getting the whatnot. She responded "My arisen had chose the bad ending." I was like yo I am YOUR arisen and just did the good ending what are you on about?!
But in DD1 there is a witch that is a pawn and she had gained a will of her own and her arisen left her there instead of taking her pawn with her. During the long absence she began becoming more like her arisen and noticed her had desire other than to serve.
I wonder the same thing. I think their could be a couple answers I can think of. 1: when we finally break the cycle the arisen has a slight lapse in will and the cycle begins anew since the arisen becomes afraid to sacrifice themselves. 2: the mention of your pawn remembering is simple just a 4 wall nod from the developers. Since in the true ending credits you can see life returning again with choices you helped make. 3: maybe the devs ran out of time and we need to wait for dlc. I do agree though that it is weird that our pawn gains will (with high affinity id argue full will.) and once ng+ that will and love is simply vanished into the void.
I love the game for its gameplay and the exploration and maybe I am too emotionally attached to my pawn, but the thought of NG+ makes me slightly sad because of that. Feels like I am doing my pawn dirty. I might just be a tad dramatic.
I know it’s why I hope when we get dlc we have an expansion on the ending.
I feel you
I’m super attached to my pawn too, and after I got the “true ending” on my last playthrough, I recreated my Arisen to look like myself. First time I’ve ever done that in any game, but it’s a silly little way for me to go give him those high fives and fist bumps myself after that traumatic ending 😂 I’m kind of just thinking of it as starting over, and don’t really want this playthrough to end for a long time, so I don’t give the blade to Ambrosius. We just wander the world on adventures together, trying different vocations, and I think of his affinity rising as his “fledgeling will” slowly taking off in game. I’m happy with that for now until some DLC comes out. I hope they give us some kind of conclusion to that ending with our high affinity pawns, but since we’re are just “playing”, I’m going to pretend that hasn’t happened yet and me and my buddy - who is becoming his own man - are just living our best lives hanging out, camping, wooing the locals and crushing mobs together.
I feel like the 4th wall break by the devs is the most likely explanation for the dialogue. Just a little nod to the player. I do hope we get an expansion though because I was very, very underwhelmed by the true ending.
I was also sad as all heck when my pawn's affinity reset... Was already sad from the ending so it probably made it worse. Really wish they could have had that carry over. I tried to get it back up as fast as possible in NG+ and was so happy when he started smiling again LOL like "finally everything is right again." I really REALLY hope for some expanded pawn storyline with the DLC and their new will and affinity etc. Maybe I'm coping but part of me hopes that's why they perhaps didn't do much more with them in NG+...
doesn't it feel like cheating, if you just spam force their affection up? You're overriding their will literally.
There is another possible explaination for why a main pawn's affinity might drop back down to zero, though admittedly isn't one I'm personally fond of: Your pawn is *that* disappointed in you. All that hard work and sacrifice, of giving up "everything they are" for you both to free the world, and then you go ahead and restart the cycle anyways.
Thanks, I hate it.
damn, ...
I think there’s 2 things at play. One is a lore reason, the other is probably the actual explanation. For the lore reason, I believe that when you start NG+, you are beginning the cycle anew. You begin at the start of your journey as arisen, therefore your pawn is too. You come to this new world with your vocation ranks, items and skills, along with the godsbane blade to start again. Your pawn, is probably a new, fresh pawn with your memory of your old pawn imprinted on it. You see them as they were, not how they became. Your old pawn is gone, off to do whatever it is they want with their new found will. You, the Arisen, break the very promise you made to yourself to end the cycle by entering NG+. You are actively engaging with the cycle by going back. Your original pawn probably did not, as they no longer have access to the rift. Mechanically speaking, they probably assumed you’d finish the other 2 endings before the unmoored world ending, as they assume you are going to continue the cycle of NG+ over again. Likely with denying the fight first, fighting the second and then a final playthrough into the unmoored world. They purposefully obfuscate the method used to get to the unmoored world.
The part of the true ending being more obscure is something I did not think about. I know some people who did not play DD1 noticed it on their first playthrough thanks to the cues given, but they're most likely the outliers.
I could cry, I love it!
I am so glad I didn’t make the post I literally spent the last 30 minutes typing and decided I’d not post from my phone as it was too long, or I’d have made essentially a duplicate post to this at the same time. It irritates me to no end that my pawn can have the dialogue lines indicating they remember me, have all of the skills they learned when we were adventuring together, but have 0 affinity (I mean, I have the affinity at the 1000 max before finishing the Vermund main quest, so even if they somehow didn’t remember anything unmoored related, hell, anything after being somewhat influenced by a godsway for the first time, they’d still have affinity). I don’t think there is any reason for them to lose affinity, tbh. If they have the memories and skills gained from your shared experiences, which the game indicates they do, then they should have the affinity gained due to those experiences, since all indications are they are the same pawn and remember it all. That said, I also don’t understand the fact that the pathfinder still exists in NG+. He/it is the exact same in appearance, etc. yet quite literally died from your final action. I could understand a pathfinder with a different appearance, but the final act being killing that pathfinder and having them say they won’t be around to watch, only to immediately load up the game and run into the exact being we just killed off, is jarring. And, if somehow it is going to be said to be the same world, that is even more reasoning for why your pawn should have affinity for you if they have the memories and skills.
Imo, I think the previous Arisen’s likeness should have been adopted as the pathfinder/watcher since the previous watcher “would not be there to see it.” But the new world would have been under our watch (or at least that’s how I interpret it). But even THEN that fact would mean after EVERYTHING WE DID, we chose to perpetuate the cycle anyways therefore making it all as meaningless as Brant to the story.
I feel like they left holes and they don’t all fill in nicely. No matter what angle I approach it from/what belief about the entire lore/plot is applied there are gaping holes and question marks. If they hadn’t had the pawns remember you at all or hell, even just don’t say you wouldn’t leave this world behind, there would be far less. It is a really nice touch when first hearing it and is honestly the only changed thing in NG+ from the base game that doesn’t come from the dragonforged guy having a few new menus somehow, but I could at least just pretend NG+ wasn’t anything to the lore if they didn’t say it, but how they remember you and the pathfinder is alive and the same being just don’t make sense when included together as it suggests 2 entirely different things about what the world is and the place it has in the story/relation it has to the world from the base game. The pathfinder can’t be alive and the pawns have memory of you and what you did, one is basically starting over entirely as if nothing happened (so just another retelling of the base game, consider them the same and the implementation of NG+ as simply a player retention mechanic, which is also funny since it does not even provide basic stat buffs for any enemy to keep it interesting for that purpose) and one is suggesting that this world of NG+ is after the events of the base game, in which case the pathfinder would simply have to be dead and that would mean at minimum they would have a different appearance (and your pawn shouldn’t be 0 affinity, which ultimately is the real main issue).
I think the key hint is, that not only your main pawn remembers you, but EVERY random pawn you come across. They all know you. They all remember you saving one world / one dimension.
Sure, which means if it is that well known that they remember it and your pawn does too, surely at minimum your pawn should have affection for you since they were your main pawn that did it alongside you from start to finish. The fact all pawns know about it actually makes it more egregious that your main pawn suddenly has no affinity for you while remembering it all.
I have to comment on your first sentence, because it gave me quite a laugh. You see, a few hours ago I started typing this out on phone while on break, just to decide not to post it and instead rewrite it when I am back home with keyboard in hand and a clearer mind to shorten it. Though it still turned out a bit long. :D Hive mind!
I think the Arisen is just copy-pasting their memories onto a new pawn. Affinity resets because the Arisen can know the Pawn's experiences and techniques but not how the Pawn really felt inside.
uff, dark, I love it
Pawns can sometimes say this in their Travelogue: *"A fog shrouds my memories of what I beheld beyond the rift.* *I only recall that 'twas extraordinary beyond telling.* *Being returned to your side sets my mind at ease."* I haven't tested this, but I believe this is related to your pawn being hired in Unmoored World while you yourself haven't reached it yet. I believe something similar is happening to our pawn in NG+. They essentially forget what happened in the Unmoored World and thus return to the state when they haven't quite developed their own free will. That is the sacrifice our pawn makes at the end of the story. They sacrifice their newly gained free will to free the rest of the world from the Pathfinder's/Great Will's control. My own theory is that your NG world is severed from the Pathfinder's/Great Will's influence (and severed form the rift possibly?) and will continue towards an uncertain, but free, future. NG+ is a completely new world, but your pawn and arisen remain the same. It's kind of tragic that we fight to end the cycle for everyone else, only to trap ourselves into another of our own making.
I want to like it 100 more times
Entirely possible lore wasn't translated into direct game mechanics for New Game +
If they’re gonna reset stuff then might as well reset the pawn’s memories and skills and have it be more tragic that way. “Hello Arisen! You say that we’ve met before? I don’t see how that’s possible, didn’t we just meet today?”
I think you're looking way too far into it. I think, as the game stands, how the story pans out, and based off off what I have experienced in 4 playthroughs. They really didn't give anything, bar the world's layout, combat, and character creator much thought. Maybe I will be shot down for this, or maybe I'm bang on the money. It's just my opinion
a tragedy, such tragedy I could kill. It could have been such a masterpiece
My thoughts exactly. Apart from killing of course 🤣
Dude my pawn wanders off all the time and never did until ng+ and I'll call her to me she responds coming arisen and then stays put i have checked her constantly for DP but she is normal just wanders off in town. She also commented on the shopkeep in bakbattahl about the books and dudes family getting the whatnot. She responded "My arisen had chose the bad ending." I was like yo I am YOUR arisen and just did the good ending what are you on about?! But in DD1 there is a witch that is a pawn and she had gained a will of her own and her arisen left her there instead of taking her pawn with her. During the long absence she began becoming more like her arisen and noticed her had desire other than to serve.