This is where I stopped reading.
Yeah, he obviously never played Mike Singletons "Lords of Midnight"
We'll have to disagree on this one. I found DA's setting and factions to be its weakest link. At least ME2 had The Force, Jedi... oh wait
Seriously though, Ferelden, Wardens, The chantry, Dark Spawn etc. was as uninspired as could possibly be. Only slight redemption came from a few interesting, atypical NPC's like Sten, Dog and Zevran.
If developers want to base it on real world cultures, why not pick something more "distinct", like Celts, Picts, Sumerian or whatever.
Edit: By comparison, a game like ME2 used humor to great effect. Salarians enable you to overlook possible shortcomings because you are too busy giggling while playing.