Bolded text to highlight something I'm unhappy to hear about. Loghain's behavior at the battle of Ostagar was already explained in the "Stolen Throne" book. One of the few game series I have liked enough to buy the novels for. Those books actually gave me an appreciation for Loghain, and it clearly spells out why he left the battle. He didn't want to repeat a mistake he made in the past, if I recall correctly, he even promised Maric he wouldn't repeat that same mistake.
This would just be another thing they are seemingly retconning in the new dragon age canon.
Now I understand what it's like to be a star wars or star trek fan.
I would argue that you don't even need to read the book (which I actually disliked), I feel like you could figure that out with any kind of common sense.
Loghain was being controlled when he made that choice. It made sense for his character. Now some never before mentioned entity/group has been pulling everyones strings all this time?
Loghain is a general, he's a military genius, he fought under the occupation of Orlais and is a brilliant tactician, but you I would argue you don't need to be a fucking four-star general to understand the tactical advantage of a strategic retreat.
Do I:
A) Throw away my entire army in a pointless battle we're completely outmatched for, thus leaving my country completely vulnerable to the Blight AND an imminent Orlesian invasion.
Or
B) Tactical retreat, just in case the worst happens, so I can keep my country safe from the darkspawn and, worse, those frog leg-eating, garlic-smelling, dog-hating fuckers next door.
Just because his actions put a few obstacles in the player character's way (and made poor widdle Awistair cry), doesn't mean he wasn't entirely justified and sensible in doing it.
What? Doesn't he tell you in Origins if you recruit him that he didn't like how Cailain wanted to improve relations with Orlais and that he didn't underestimated the blight?
It is made explicitly clear when you return to Ostagar that Cailan was fucking Celene on the quiet, and basically planning to hand Fereldan over to Orlais anyway.
So, not only do you have the king of your nation, who also happens to be your son-in-law, collaborating with an enemy force who occupied your country and treated you like shit, he's also cheating on your fucking daughter who you love more than anything in the world.
Loghain wasn't just a paranoid weirdo, he was right.
Justice for Loghain. Everything Loghain did was entirely justified and if you don't recruit him at the end of Origins, you are a certified homo.
