The Best Companion in: Dragon Age: Origins

Beneath the sacred Mountain

Yes, I'm back once again for this 'best of' series that I seem to like so much, only this time I'm focusing on developers who, once upon a time, prided themselves on storytelling and character development, so needless to say the decision will be more multifaceted. Yes, today I'm talking about a Bioware RPG, more specifically one of their most celebrated ever, the prematurely named: Dragon Age: Origins. Now whenever people lament the shadow of a company Bioware is today, it is with the fond memories of their glory days back in 2009 when this title launched, therefore you could look on this title as the gold standard for what to expect from a Bioware game. That being said, I personally don't believe that Origin's boasts Bioware's strongest overall character line-up (Or even Dragon Age's if I being honest.) So it'll be interesting to see what conclusions I'm drawn to with this title. (Alas: Spoilers. Some mild, others not so.)

That being said, I'm obliged to start with the usual barrage of 'disclaimers' such as the fact that this list is entirely subjective and there's no wrong answers in questions like these. Also, I'm only covering the companions present in 'Dragon Age: Origins' and not those from 'Dragon Age: Awakening', although that's not because of personal preference but more because I literally don't remember any of the people for that DLC aside from Anders, and that's only because he shows up in Dragon's Age 2. Maybe I'll get around to replaying that DLC and figuring out exactly why I found it so utterly forgettable. (In the companion department, that is, everything else about 'Awakening' is actually pretty stellar.)

There is actually one more thing I want to address before getting into this particular blog and that is what some folk refer to as the 'standard Bioware archetype'. This is a criticism that some people stoke in the way that Bioware is so lacking in creativity that they recycle their companions from game to game instead of coming up with new folk, and it's a theory that seems to hold some water to those that pay but a precursory glance. I.E. The loner type character in Morrigan and Jack or the sage-like character in Wynne and Kreia. Whilst it is true that wide personality traits can be seen as common across these characters, anyone familiar with these characters can tell how distinct they are. (The Wynne/ Kreia comparison is honestly too dumb to comment on.) So whilst I mostly respect folks right to have their opinion on the quality of character writing, I'm going to have to just say people miss the mark quite widely there.

Now let's completely undermine everything I just said by talking by the archetypal 'stoic strong man' character: Sten. What can I say about Sten? Well I can't start by saying that as an actual functioning party member he's broken. I'm not sure what it is, but the guy is designed to work as a tank despite his stats being completely unable to accommodate for that. (Not really any use for a tank who's as tough as a box of tissues.) Even if the player does decide to invest points into turning Sten into an actual feasible tank (for whatever reason) he'll just naturally be outclassed by Alistair whom you receive earlier and who is just much more naturally talented in that particular field. What I'm basically trying to say here is that Sten is practically useless in any tough gameplay encounter and that already throws up a huge barrier when I'm trying to like someone. His personality did the rest. Speaking of...

Sten is your prototypical strong man with little to no emotion beyond being occasionally sternly judgemental. Initially this works as an introduction to his race; Sten is a Qunari who has been sent by his leader, the Arishok, to study and observe the Blight which is sweeping the land. This sets this character up for a classic man-out-of-place dynamic as he comes fact to face with a culture incompatible to his own and struggles to come to terms with whilst the player whittles through his tough exterior to reveal the commonalities inherent to all beings, Qunari or man. (You see, Bioware, that's how you handle this sort of character.) Instead Sten is presented as a humorless, uncharasmatic, murderer who does his best to poke and prod the main character with inane observations and comments about nothing to the point where you just want to kick him out your camp. Yes, there should be moments where you explain parts of your culture to him, No, those shouldn't all consist of him blabbering on about Qunari culture for 5 minutes at a time. I appreciate the effort but you guys seem to have forgotten; as a player I don't care about the 'Qunari' because they aren't important to the current story being told, so why would I want their people's freakin' spokesperson as my personal companion? Why not send me an exposition machine from the Dalish tribes if you wanna start this terrible of a precedent. (although even that would make a little bit more sense as, again, the Dalish actually show up in the story!)

So Sten basically has no personality throughout the entire game and yet the player is expected to have cultural standoffs with him as though we give a crap what he thinks about us. (How can we do that when we don't even care who he is? It's like arguing with a sentient exposition dumb, why even bother?) Only by the end does he seem to show some begrudging respect towards you, but by that point it feels a little out of nowhere and a lot too-little-too-late. And you wanna know what makes this all worse? The knowledge that we'll never get to see Bioware take another crack at Sten to evolve him into a better character due to the strange revelation in the next Dragon Age that Sten was actually his title, he never had a name. So there's a thousand identical mountain men going around with the name Sten, making this one utterly unremarkable in every conceivable way. (Yes, I get that's sort of the point of his entire culture, but it doesn't make for interesting character moments.) In conclusion, Sten is easily the worst companion in DA:O, maybe even in the entire franchise.

My next pick might be a little controversial for how low he is, but that's a surprise to me because I found Oghren utterly insufferable during my time with Dragon Age. It's only once I loaded up 'Dragon's Age: Awakening' with the promise of a returning 'fan favourite' that I realised there were people who were actual fans of this obnoxious Dwarf, and I cannot fathom why. Don't get me wrong, in terms of usefulness he is a damn sight more sensible to keep around than Sten; Oghren is presented as a two-handed damage dealer and he's actually built to be able to live up to that promise, with an extra character class to back it up. Functionally, I'd actually argue that Oghren is in the upper echelon in the teiring list and I wouldn't be surprised to hear it if some folk actually bought him to the final fight with them. (Maker knows you'd need all the advantages you can get for that absolute bloody onslaught of enemies. That finale is not one of Bioware's best designed.)

My gripes with Oghren actually come purely from his character, although I will admit that this isn't to say that this is a badly done character like Sten was. Oghren is intend to be a brash, crude, sometimes violent and occasionally purile Dwarf who specialises in embarrassing himself and driving away everyone until you come along to deal with his crap. Bioware execute this beautifully and as a result I cannot stand to be around this arse for longer than the game intends, and can you blame me? He's annoying, a braggart and his height of humour is belching. (Because that's just one step above fart jokes, huh Bioware?) I mean don't just take my word for it, look at the mission in which he's introduced! He's just been dumped by his wife for being awful and she's mounted an expedition through the incredibly dangerous Deep Roads in a bid to get away from him. (Okay, there are other reasons for this expedition too, but I'll bet money the distancing was a huge bonus!) The second she's gone she immediately picks up a new lover, goes absolutely nutty, and even in her insanity refuses to listen when you drag her husband through hell to get her to calm down. (That's what you expect the results to be from sharing a household with Oghren for extended periods of time)

Although seriously, all that is absolutely fine in my book. Honestly. Sure, Oghren repulses me on a base level but I do absolutely love it when any writer can provoke such an emotional response out of me. I like having characters that I disagree with in stories as it makes everything a lot more enjoyable and varied from the point of view of the watcher. My real problem with Oghren is the fact that he doesn't really appear to grow throughout your time together, or at least not enough. Through your journey's Oghren appears to be on a journey to become more of an actual adult and start actually pulling himself together, although this just amounts in you wing manning him to score an old flame. (Literally. That's his entire companion quest. Like a crappy romcom.) Of course, this apparently does 'change' him according to the main game's epilogue, but I actually remember enough about 'Awakening' to know that account doesn't match with reality. In that DLC, Oghren is still the same POS, ungrateful drunkard as always and you have to work overtime just to keep his new relationship together. (He drops their baby twice. I just can't with this man.) So in conclusion; I understand why Oghren is beloved by some, he's a really well written character, I just fundamentally hate him for who he is. That's all there is to it.

If that last one was going to ruffle feathers, then this one will too if I don't get something out right away; I actually do like the little rogue elf Zevran. As a party member he's the only dedicated rogue with a specialisation in close range combat, meaning that he can really take advantage of Dragon Age's 'Backstab' system which makes one-on-one bossfights easier. (Or 'feasible' in the highest difficulty. Which, again, is the only difficulty I play on.) He's actually a great addition for specialised party configurations, but he's not the kind of companion that I'd bring along for just any bout. (Rogue's aren't always at their best when surrounded. Take it from the idiot who insists on playing 'Dragon Age: Inquisition' as one.)

I think his story is actually pretty cool too, with him trying to assassinate you to begin with before becoming your friend in a weird 'life debt'/'I don't really have a choice because I'm know as marked for death as you are'-type situation. Additionally, unlike Sten much of Zevran's world-building is actually pretty cool to hear about, probably because he actually shows up in some his stories. I enjoy the England-inspired Fereldan well enough, it's well-executed typical fantasy fodder, but hearing about Antiva (Which I'd imagine is meant to be Spain) through Zevran's voice makes for a very cool exotic sounding place. Unfortunately, this works against Zevran because I remember his stories about his home world more than I remember him. I can't even recall how his post-game epilogue goes, which doesn't really bode well for the character's staying power. Ultimately, Zevran is cool enough, he just lacks any real depth for me.

Okay, maybe it's a little cheaty to include a DLC character but I don't care, I like Shale. As a party member she is delightfully unique as a stone golem construct imbued with the soul of a particularly sassy Dwarf. In gameplay she makes for a pretty useful crowd control unit (You'd think she'd be a tank...) which doesn't exactly make her a party staple but does give her a space in certain pouts. (I've literally had fights that I've ducked out of just to bring her aboard because her unique move set is that cool) As a non-humanoid companion she's certainly a lot more robust and useful than the dog of this game. (Oh yeah, there's also a dog. He's not interesting enough to get a paragraph.)

In terms of personality Shale radiates that delight sardonic wit of HK-47 (crap, now I'm comparing games!) which ensures she always has a great quip about the situation. Her personal backstory is pretty funny too, with her being forced to be a scarecrow in a small town for several decades, explaining her disdain for simple human life. As a smartly comic relief character, it's actually rather surprising when her story touches the pensive once you dig into her past, although she doesn't exactly have a grand interesting narrative for players to dive into and so I have to mark her down for that.

Wait, have I marked up the French girl because of the accent again? (Am I a Francophile?) No, in truth every single character from this point forward all pretty much count as legendary Bioware characters, the like of which each Western RPG companion gets understandably compared to. Thus Leliana earns her spot so high because she is easily one of the best companions in DA:O. In terms of gameplay she's a particularly competent ranged Rogue who isn't too shabby close up either, making her pretty much a must for most regular party configurations. Whenever I play she pretty much gets the bulk of all my light armour because she makes better use of that stuff then I ever would. (Pretty much the only task you can rely on Bioware AI for is ranged combat.)

In terms of character, Leliana is an absolute classic, as I've mentioned. She starts off seeming to be a stereotypical 'Chantry bashing' religious type who you'll think get on your nerves within the hour, however soon you'll learn there's a lot more to this Orlesian 'bard'. As it turns out, Leliana turned to religion in order to come to terms with her dark past, also, turns out in Orlais 'Bard' means 'Spy/assassin'. (Funny how the rest of the world don't know what must be a terribly kept secret.) As you progress through the story she turns out to be one of the characters who inserts themselves rather adamantly into the main plot to the point where she can even briefly become the party leader if you play your cards right. (Or, given the situation which allows for this, very wrong) By the end of the tale you've helped Leliana either overcome her guilt and devote herself to her new creed or hardened her out of her guilt by convincing her that the spy-life ain't so bad. (I guess that canonically the latter happens, given her appearance in DA:O) To conclude; Leliana is a great companion and no Dragon Age playthrough would quite feel right without her.

Here, however, goes a character whom I respect for wholly personal reasons. Whilst Wynne might not be the kind of character who most default to when thinking of 'classic Bioware companions' I feel her presence in this particular title is too important to forget about. Wynne is a mage of The Circle, which immediately makes her part of the very intriguing 'Mage vs human rights' dynamic that every game in this series has addressed at least once. Her magic also makes her an invaluable party ally as she is the only dedicated healer who even gains the powerful ability to revive other party members mid fight. Literally, I have no idea if this game is completeable on the hardest difficulty without Wynne in the party, she's that essential.

But it's her character and story that I find really intriguing. Wynne is an elderly teacher when you meet her, although every thing changes for her when she is killed protecting her students only to then have her body possessed by some sort of benevolent demon. (Something which is abhorrent by the laws of the land.) Therefore Wynne is struck with the chance to do more good with her life and the dichotomy that her means to achieve this second chance is at odds with everything she believes in. However where Wynne really shines for me is the way in which she acts as a teacher for the player. Although her role in that regard is less official than, say, Kreia from KOTOR 2, she is still a learned individual who is eager to provide a sage word of guidance when the player needs it. In terms of roleplaying, this is a very handy tool for establishing an arc for the main character, gently guiding them into becoming the hero, or villain, that the player wants. Therefore, I like her for being that bedrock upon which a character arc can actually occur for the player character, which is something RPGs often neglect to account for.

Okay now we're firmly set in the world of personal preference, it only makes sense that I put my personal second best companion as Morrigan. Doesn't it just make sense? A pessimistic, snarky witch who delights in insults and light sadism; she's brilliant. As a witch of the wilds Morrigan is an incredibly useful attack mage with the power to practically evaporate a target if you give her enough room. As magic is a little overpowered in this franchise, a double team with her and Wynne is my personal go-to for all the big fights. She also has a shapeshifting personal skill which makes her a decent physical damage dealer for those with magic resistances. (I just wish I was smart enough to remember about that whenever those situations arise.)

As for her character, you can probably already tell that Morrigan is my actual spirit animal. She's always there to insert a bit of snide realism to deflate your heroic posturing and ensure that your feet are firmly set on the ground; but in a way that isn't so imperious or intrusive. (Like Kreia from KOTOR would.) Her personal story is also very interesting as it starts from a very innoculous request before ballooning into one of the most curious plotpoints of the franchise; one that very much still has a hanging question mark over it. (Will Flemeth let Morrigan enjoy her freedom, or has she already snatched it away without any of us knowing?) And Morrigan will forever have extra 'best companion' points in my eyes for being the only non-doe eyed bystander in that incredibly cringe-worthy scene in which Leliana decides to serenade you. (I could, and maybe even will, go into an entire blog of reasons why that scene is the single most skincrawling moment in the entire game. But I need to wrap this up.)

Those in the know will likely know my pick for top. Not just because there's a giant picture of his handsome mug above, but because there's only one real person who could be considered the best Companion in a game full of great companions. The one man who Bioware never give us more of no matter how much we beg, Alistair, the Bastard Prince. Now in gameplay Alistair takes up that most noble of party roles, the humble tank, and he's a damn sight better at it then Sten is. Although I usually play a tank myself, that in no way dissuades me from double teaming with Alistair against the harder to manage bosses like the high dragons. (Always helps to be able to switch aggro when health is waning.) But needless to say unless your player is a Tank, Alistair is an absolute necessity to your party at practically all times.

Good thing, then, that he has charisma and snark dripping out of his skin pores. He's funny, instantly likeable, sassy and- I'm starting to see a commonality in the types of personalities that I like... His story is also classically engrossing, with him being a Bastard Prince who never wanted his royal lineage, meaning that you can honour his reticence or mold him into becoming the type of king that Ferelden needs, making his presence essential to the games central plot. He's also the only surviving Ferelden Grey Warden aside from you (despite his relatively junior position) meaning that his council is the only one that gives you any idea what the Warden's are or how they would act. (And he hardly has any idea himself.) It's a really clever way to introduce a exposition font that you come to rely on without making him feel too arbitrary or cliche. (Something they completely messed up doing in the same game with Sten. How do you even do that?) There's something different about learning about the shortened life-span of the Grey Wardens from the same guy who talks about licking lampposts in winter like a badge of honour. Ultimately, Alistair serves as both the funny and straight man, bringing a very human perspective to an inherently whimsical fantasy world. His commentary is incisive, his musings relatable, and his pedigree that of a genuine friend, making Alistair my pick for the best companion in 'Dragon Age: Origins'.

That's that for Dragon Age for now, but not for Bioware as I intend to travel into space next. Yes, I know that logic would dictate that I move onto Dragon Age 2 now, but I actually haven't beat that game more than once so cannot judge the different paths available in the story. (Also, I technically still haven't beaten 'Dragon Age: Inquisition' but don't tell anyone.) Whatever I move onto next, I hope I drummed up some fond memories with this blog and maybe got you thinking about your favourite companions from back in the day. Until the next blog, I'll be sulking about FF7 Remake being an Playstation exclusive right up until they announce otherwise. (Which may never happen, so I might just be sulking for life.)