Out of all the companion arcs inDragon Age: Inquisition, Cole’s final personal quest entitled “Subjected To His Will” is a complicated one that spurs more disagreements and debate than most. Fans of the franchise rightfully expect aDragon Agecompanion’s story to contain complexities and big moral decisions, but as to which choice is best, in this case, it seems self-evident to both camps. The essence of Cole’s dilemma comes down to one immediate question: is he better off encouraged toward humanity or to reclaim his spirit self? Many choose the former, but the less popular option also deserves examination.
Many players prefer encouraging Cole to become more human, and the choice is somewhat clouded by having Varric and Solas advocate for either side. The relative popularity of Varric against Solas’ more divisive persona subtly influences the question. That said, there is a case to be made that, in abstraction from the other companions involved and in the long run, Cole’s arc is as much about self-acceptance as it is about taking care of a wayward spirit of Compassion. He may not emote the same way as a spirit as Cole-the-human, but helping Cole reclaim the lost aspects of his identity is a fulfilling journey that invites players to empower a character by helping him be the best of both sides of the Veil.
Warning: This article contains spoilers for Cole’s entire character arc inDragon Age: Inquisition.
8It’s What He Is
Encouraging Cole To Be True To His Nature
The most evident reason to help Cole return to his original self is thatheisa spirit. In this context, helping him become more spirit isa journey of self-discoveryand acceptance of his innate abilities and instincts, and he doesn’t necessarily lose the perspective he gained while in human form.
His identity may seem disjointed compared to the young human man he presents as, and quite a few characters around him are only comfortable forgetting he’s there. Still, Cole never indicates any loneliness or distress because of this. It isn’t that he doesn’t notice; in fact, helping people forget is one of his abilities. Far from attention-seeking, Cole utilizes his social invisibility.
7Cole Benefits From His Natural Abilities
His Greatest Wish Is To Help People
The way and the things he chooses to help with are very characteristically alien, as one might expect from a Fade spirit, and they all end up being notable boons that have ripple effects wherever he lingers. Cole needs guidance and seeks it, but changing him into a human to fit in comes at the cost of helping him be what he was created to be.
Ultimately, Cole is an allegory of what potential losses and gains come withnot being like othersbut having something uniquely valuable to contribute. Cole’s abilities and insights, enriched by his human experiences, make all the difference in all the lives he touches,as exemplified inTrespasser. As a human, he learns how to help himself. As a spirit, he helps countless others. Both give back, but on a different scale.
6Being Mortal In Thedas Isn’t Great
His Human Self Has No Titles Or Prospects
There’s no inherent reason why being a spirit would be bad, but there’s a litany of things to make mortal life in Thedas miserable. If made more human, Cole’s clean slate is an unshaped identity, and byTrespasser, he finds his footing mainly in supporting and loving Maryden the Bard. Still, Cole’s individual contribution will realistically come down to his human abilities, meaning that, although he retains his compassionate insight into people, he’s mainly set up fortaking life as a way of life.
However necessary Cole’s deadly abilities might seem in a worldfull of assassins and politics, it seems a sad fate to envision as a future for a young man who is a twisted embodiment of Compassion, especially knowing how war-torn Thedas becomes. As a spirit, Cole already has practice seeing into souls without being perceived, empowering him to meaningfully and peacefully help where no one else could.
5Becoming Human Wasn’t The Plan
Cole Was Trying To Make Up For A Deadly Mistake
It’s a good argument that Cole was drawn to humans, and thus, harbors a latent desire to become one. However, his actions when he took the form don’t speak of being drawn to humanity so much as specifically the illogic of Cole-the-human’s suffering. As a spirit,it’s in his nature to be drawn to human emotionsin general; in his case, situations that require compassion.
Compassion without a frame of reference is at the heart of what makesCole’s journey necessary. His whole arc illustrates the difficulties of contextualizing compassion in mortal and transpersonal terms, and what he learns helps him embody this essence better. He kills at first because he sees death as a merciful alternative to suffering, and this is why he needed to understand the perspective of mortality, but that doesn’t mean he should be consigned to it while abandoning what he was.
4He Has Blood On His Hands
Living With It May Not Be Easy Later On
Humans have complex feelings around good intentions leading to great harm, and Cole inadvertently does a lot of it, a subject explored in David Gaider’s novel,Asunder. As a spirit, he could not understand the difference between his interpretation of compassion and violence, and, if made more human, he would be destined to ruminate on the consequences of this.
While it can be argued that mostcharacters inDragon Agedo violence, their lives tend to evolve towards such eventualities over time, and their personalities and skills mature with purpose. Cole, however, doesn’t have the benefits of having a human life before stepping into one. Maryden’s role in his life improves his odds if he’s made more human, but instead of helping her help many people as he does as a spirit, she has to teach her boyfriend about human existence while pursuing her craft.
3A Spirit At Home In Both Realms
Cole May Have A Unique Influence On The Fade
The value of aspirit who spent significant timeamong mortals shouldn’t be underestimated, especially considering whereDragon Age’sstory heads inThe Veilguard. As a spirit who literally put himself in the place of someone enduring relentless fear and suffering, he may be better able to appreciate the value mortals place on living through such things and finding empowerment, not just making pain stop.
Cole internalizes this fascinating intermix of hardship and comfort if he is limited to human form, destined to experience one perspective, but gaining the ability to grow emotionally. As a spirit, what he gains as a human still has a place in his existence, but the rules of mortality no longer bind him. That’s not to say there is no sadness in letting the unique individual that is Cole go, but while making him human may feel good,making him a spirit is good for him.
2Cole’s Human Needs Are Largely Projections
Varric’s Anthropomorphization Is Infectious
There can be a great deal of cross-species misunderstandings that come from the human habit of assuming other beings feel and think exactly the same way we do. In the case ofDragon Agespirits, it’s clear that existence might be a wildly different experience for them, and it’s well-established in lore that one of the most harmful things one can do to a spirit is to pervert it away from its original essence. Solas alludes to this when he points out thatCole is technically a demon.
In a classicDragon Ageironic twist, the instinct to make him human isn’t represented by a human but rather by Varric, whose dwarven heritage is notably completely disconnected from the Fade. He argues that Cole chose to be a human boy but doesn’t address the circumstances under which that happened. Varric has a lot of affection for the human he sees in Cole, but he makes a lot of assumptions about what would be right for him without understanding or trusting spirits.
1What Would Spirit Cole Have Wanted?
His Unequivocal Consent & Trust Is Arguable
Making people forget is woven into Cole’s identity, and inTrespasser,he alludes to how many more people he helps if made more spirit instead of becoming real to them. He’s not visibly happy like a typical young human man would seem, but he does seem energetic and fulfilled as a spirit fully utilizing the best of both worlds. He is more himself than ever before in some ways, but it’s made clear that no matter the player’s choice,Cole always gains and losessomething.
Players who choose human get to see Cole adjusting and learn he’s in an adorable relationship with Maryden the Bard. He also reveals to players that he still has the innate instincts of his spirit self as a kind of intuition. As a spirit, he still does good through Maryden, and she ends up with Krem, which is just as touching an ending. The difference comes down to what kind of happiness players envisage for Cole: a fresh life in Thedas, ora healed and empowered spirit of Compassion.
