I really don't want to be special :(

[stayBlind]

Hey there,

 

I would just like to start off saying that I am enjoying the game so far. I just earned my Stronghold (which seems super cool), and I am having a blast learning how to play the game.

 

One thing is bothering me though: being a 'Watcher'. It kinda seems like the 'Dragonborn' thing from Skyrim which was a huge turnoff to me (which I ended up ignoring and just thieved my way through the world). I am wondering if being a 'Watcher' plays a large role in the storyline, or if it drops off later in the game. Right now there are constant references to it via dialogue with NPCs and some of my party members even remark about it quite a bit. Is it possible to ignore 'Watcher' related story and still progress, or is the 'Watcher' storyline the only way of eventually progressing?

 

I really don't like being special, and I had hopes that I would be able to just be a dwarven mercenary going on grand adventures and building a Stronghold, but I am thinking of re-rolling my character to something that will fit the 'Watcher' situation if it does indeed play a large role in the game.

[Bryy]

It's the MacGuffin of the game. While you're not a Chosen One in the traditional sense, you do belong to a group that does have certain powers. And that does allow you to be put in a special position to go further into the greater plot.

[Katarack21]

Becoming a Watcher can literally happen to anybody, at any time. It's rare, but not particularly "special" in that sense.

[Christliar]

You still are *A* Chosen One. It happens totally by accident, but it's still the same. You should also be concerned that you being a Watcher doesn't really do anything. The plot could've happened without Watchers even existing in the universe. It just gives an excuse to talk to centuries dead people which would work the same if they weren't centuries old nor dead.

[Rosveen]

Nearly every fantasy RPG makes you the chosen one and very few allow you to ignore it the way Elder Scrolls games do. PoE is refreshing in that while you're special, you aren't the only one with these powers, they're just very rare - but even so, not so very different from the skills of a cipher. Anyway, yes, it's important and you can't ignore it.

[Sabin Stargem]

I think that Obsidian shouldn't have made the player a watcher.  Rather, they should have given those powers to a permanent companion who can reveal his or her visions to other people.  This way Obsidian could have made the companion become increasingly mad and broken as time went on, evoking empathy or cruelty from the player who acts as a guardian.  As it is, the status of watcher is very disconnected to the player, since Obsidian has to make the player central to the plot - without taking away their ability to make choices or changing their character.

 

My reason for why the player has to protect the Watcher Companion:  The biawac sheared off a portion of their souls, and the ceremony by Thaos had bonded them together.  If one dies, the other follows.

Edited April 7, 2015 by Sabin Stargem

[abelhabel]

The watcher could be skipped and instead given special treat to Ciphers who already have a similar function. It would mean, though, that they would had to give special treats to all classes which would had taken a lot of development time. Treats such as druids getting the same information but from different means and a different perspective. So, my guess is that you being a watcher is a compromise between content and development time.

 

I must say that they did it well. It is not too much and it is a fitting mechanic to tell the main story through.