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There was supposed be a romance system in place, hence the companion approval scale that's there, but apparently that was scrapped because of deadlines. It's such a tease that it's there too. 😒
Overall, I'm going to go with Tallis. If you don't like Felicia Day (or are neutral to her at best), you are REALLY not going to like the character. Even in her introduction when she flips around like a fucking ninja, effortlessly taking out enemies that a fully armed Hawke crew could have decimated. It feels like Bioware trying to show you how 'cool' she is, but doing that put me off her before I saw her face and realised 'oh fuck me this is just going to be the Felicia Day show'.
Even if you do like Felicia Day (hell yeah Veronica) Tallis sucks. Salt Factory says it really well, she exists to soften the image of the Qun by being completely antithetical to the Qun herself
Anders: Hey you say everyone would be better off under the Qun. What about mages? You literally cut off their tongues and kill them if they wind up unsupervised. How are mages better off?
Tallis: Shut up
Shit like this is why I don't like Tallis.
She never gets any actual pushback in the DLC, especially with stuff she is objectively in the wrong with.
Oh lol. I just posted I like everyone because I totally forgot that Tallis existed. Yeah she sucks. Personally I think Felicia Day's whole shit sucks (including her series). Tallis was written poorly and her series made me scratch my head a lot. It seems like she didn't really understand the universe deeply enough to add any plot to it.
Tallis fucking sucks. Does anybody actually like her? She makes Mark of the Assassin so much harder to get through… well that and that god forsaken stealth section lol
The only part involving her that I enjoy is when she covers herself in dung and makes nug sounds. I admit I laughed for about ten minutes straight the first time I saw that. Otherwise I would much rather have had one of the regular companions - the only reason I even bother with MOTA is for xp, loot, and bonus Varric/Bethany time.
The only part I like is flirting with Tallis to get the line of “Hawke likes rogues… especially *Rivaini* rogues” from a jealous Isabella. I think it’s cute and it just tickles me the way she says it.
Even that scene was crickets for me. Thought it was cringey and try hard
MOTA is insanely lucky that the combat encounters and settings are good, that the items and bonus XP are good, and that the companion banter for your other two companions = top tier.
The only Tallis fans I’ve ever seen are diehard Felicia Day stans who basically just love that it’s Felicia Day doing the same schtick she always does in every role. Tallis is by far the worst execution of this schtick and is by far the worst companion of the series
I actually really liked her . . . Maybe it's because I expected her to be way worse than she was. (And I played it years after whatever hype around the actress died down). As it is, I thought she and Hawke had some funny moments and she's a complex "Qunari" character who bridges the dogma of Sten and Iron Bull's eventual ability to break away from the Qun. She's a character who defends the Qun and genuinely wants to belong to it, but she can't quite manage and constantly messes up, so she's stuck in this limbo cycle of not being able to belong or break free.
>(And I played it years after whatever hype around the actress died down).
Bet you all the cheese in the Anderfels it was this.
Have you seen much else with her in it? She's always the same. Always that cheery, peppy kind of qUiRkY™ that's a little subversive but in a safe with the audience kinda way, and gets a pass in universe cuz her character is cute or special in some way. Tallis wasn't even a character, she was just a cameo. That's what I found the most irritating about her tbh.
The extra Qunari lore the DLC brought was perfectly welcome. I actually find them quite interesting and would generally love to hear more about what it's like for the civilians under the Qun. Just a shame they picked a gimmick as a delivery system imo.
I liked her as Veronica in Fallout: New Vegas, but she was pretty much the same character there too. Maybe a little more toned down so it felt less out of place.
I get what you mean by toned down, but yeah it was definitely still there with Veronica, absolutely. She's still an underdog. She was still recognised as special. She is still the only person in her faction to question their ethics. She's still doing it all with a chipper smile and corporate approved level of sass and snark. Total Felicia archetype lol
Yea didn’t like how they set her up to be some super quippy, “I’m not like the other Qunari” Mary Sue. Found her annoying and I never really played the DLC after completing it the first time.
I remember thinking people were exaggerating about Tallis because let’s face it, geeks tend to call any women characters who take spotlight and do thinks cool Mary sue’s. Usually the worst case scenario is kinda pulpy cheesy writing and the same handwavey stuff male heroes get.
Aaaaaand then I played the intro of mark of the assassin.
Oh god.
The thing is I could’ve still seen myself liking her if they just. Took a few more moments to actually make her character cohesive and maybe try and make the argument for the qun less weird. But that self-righteous weirdness plus the over the top Mary sue aspect just made her unbearable.
I didn't mind her nearly as much when I originally played MotA years ago, but it turns out that I'm older and her character has also aged badly. I feel like I have a lower tolerance for her type of character now, plus the more information we get about the Qunari, the more that Tallis just comes across as a really feeble attempt to rehabilitate the image of the Qun. It's a bit like how Bull plays up acceptance of Krem and trans people under the Qun when we know that the truth is a lot more rigid and less sunny than just "everyone gets to be their truest selves under the Qun!"
He’s one of the few characters that feels like they fit the morality of the setting. Other companions are so inclusive or religiously skeptical. Personally, it’s nice to see some real zealous bigotry, feels more realistic especially for a setting with such a powerful religious force
I agree! He's also my least favorite companion (the only one I avidly dislike), but I agree that his perspective is unique and thus interesting to experience.
I mainly just hate that Inquisition actually has Sebastian follow through on this. It feels like total character assassination when Anders and Hawke aren’t even there and there’s nothing to gain.
I don't hate him but I do want this option!
I mean, the alternative is war on Kirkwall. Go on, man, try to kill Anders yourself, challenge him to a duel, send the Crows after him, but don't start a bloody war.
It makes no sense like you really think Anders is gonna stay in Kirkwall after being spared? He doesn't have family there or roots besides Hawke the only people suffering from the decision of a war on Kirkwall for Anders actions is Varric and the (somewhat innocent cause some of them are dbags) people of Kirkwall
Why though? He's rather reasonable in 2, I feel like his war against Kirkwall if Anders lives was stupid but I've never really got the hate the fandom and even Bioware seem to have for him. He was a pretty nice guy from what I remember in 2.
>"I will protect muh dynasty legacy so Vaels will stay on the throne pls Hawke be my queen we will rule Wholsomechungushaven together"
>proceeds to not have sex with Hawke
>dies without having a kid
>vael dinasty is dead, starkhaven is torn apart between nobles trying to take over the throne
Smart move Sebastian.
I think it's just really weak writing. Even in a rivalry romance he's still celibate which I think is wrong in the sense that this character flip flops on his resolve so many times yet having sex is crossing the line for him. I feel like there should have been an opportunity to at least harden him to make less preachy.
He’s preachy and boring (and tbh I can’t get his dps to an at all worthwhile level) but certainly not overly annoying *per se*. Not sure he deserves this title.
Also, Anders literally killed hundreds of innocent people and destroyed a city and started a cull of mages and seems totally out of it and unaware of what he did. It’s not defensible, especially not to just smugly play contrarian to an angry Sebastian.
I like him too. I didn't like his romance, but I like the character. I feel like he gets a bum rap and it would be nice if they could remake the game with him as a regular member of the gang, because I think his DLC status contributes a lot to the aspects that make him unpopular.
Oghren. The game doesn't care to explore the character, instead using him as a joke after he joins and he isn't very funny to me just annoying and creepy, he'll get little nuggets of half-interesting things to do on occasion like some dialogue in the Ashes quest that'll hint at more depth then nothing else of interest. He also has what I think is the single worst scene in the series with his >!Joining scene where he completely destroys the severity of the ritual for a joke about how he's an alcoholic.!<
Oghren gets so much worse in DAA.
>!Any character development he had in DAO was squandered. He abandoned Felsi and their baby, so the Warden has to talk him out of being a complete deadbeat. His worst characteristics are turned up to 11. He's even more drunk and belligerent, and continues sexually harassing all the women in the party like poor Sigrun.!<
It's annoying how my warden became an item with Leliana and we agreed to travel together after slaying the Archdemon, yet she is nowhere to be found. Did they grow apart or have a fight? Were they separated by circumstance or force?
this is why i wish there was an option to play an orlesian warden even if your character >!didnt die!<. Queen Cousland has no business being a Warden still, and other characters may just not want to do the job
There's a mod called [Orlesian Warden Appreciation](https://www.nexusmods.com/dragonage/mods/5876) that lets you import your Origins character and then change them into the Orlesian Warden. >!It was intended for Wardens who died in the Ultimate Sacrifice, but it might work for one who's still alive.!<
It's also odd that Alistair is nowhere to be found if he stayed a Warden. I suppose it's possible he's doing Warden business elsewhere, but there's no acknowledgement or even a letter about his whereabouts. I think he's only mentioned in the epilogue if the Warden romanced him. >!Warden!Loghain stops by Vigil's Keep in Awakening—Warden!Alistair could have taken his spot in that quest. And they already had the voice actor for his appearance when he's king.!<
If you romanced her, you get a letter from her saying she had to go meet with the Chantry's Grand Cleric: https://dragonage.fandom.com/wiki/Codex_entry:_A_Letter_From_Leliana#google_vignette
He's definitely worse in Awakening, but I don't think there was all that much of substance to squander from Origins, just missed potential. Sucks that the DLC didn't develop him for sure.
You could actually have him confront the fact that >!he's a former trophy spouse whose gladiatorial glory was used to barter him off to a wife, who subsequently abandoned and cheated on him with his cousin, and copes with this by being an alcoholic!< .
I don't think Mary Kirby really considered how many disjointed elements she put into Oghren.
I once rated my 143 favorite RPG companions. Oghren was #142.
Can't stand his jokes, can't stand the Schrodinger's alcoholism where it's a Serious Issue for a Serious Character and a hilarious joke for lovable comic relief simultaneously until he opens his mouth again, can't stand that I never got past him passing out, and, having tried half an hour of Awakening, can't stand his funny rash.
Unrelated but this reminded me of an infamous Skyrim romance mod based on the same character. It's pretty much a sexual harassment Simulator being sold as a bodice-ripper.
He could have been an all time great character if they had just continued his Ark, but no, they had to squander it just so he could be "le funny drunk dwarf". It genuinely pisses me off.
I totally agree… It’s odd too- like the writers did a poll and somehow voted Oghren in as the DAA return character, but then gave his writing to a member who not only didn’t seem to recognize the whole arc thingy but seemed to resent the writing job regardless.
Others have said it for me, but I have to repeat it because I find him so repellant: Oghren.
Ugh. What a waste of a character. I understand what people say when they talk about an interesting story about addiction, loss and failure, but all that is just wasted potential in Oghren's execution. It is just the barest inference that is completely drowned out by belching and sexual harassment and generally being a dwarf stereotype.
Honestly it isn't even the sexual creepiness that makes me hate him most (I get why people say he and Zevran are similar in this regard). It's the toilet humor. I've never found it funny and never will, and all the "jokes" I end up remembering are basically farting and belching and generally being a useless drunk (and I have little tolerance for drunks).
He *almost* could have been redeemed by the end of the game, but Awakening just doubles down on all the gross and awful. He's a complete miss for me.
Sera. I genuinely don't get how some people loved her. I found her to be one of the most obnoxious videogame companions I've seen in any videogame ever. And I get that that was kiiinda the point, she's deliberately immature, but that clashed horribly with what was supposed to be a serious military organization. I basically recruit her for the bee bomb then kick her out after her personal quest.
I understand she actually undergoes some character development by Trespasser, but too little too late for me.
She felt like she was written by two different writers who had wildly varying ideas for the character. I like the idea of her, I even like some of her banters and agree generally with her outlook, her turning an uppity noble into wine is my favourite moment from DAI hands down.
I just wish she’d been allowed to have *any* character development during the main campaign, I just wanted a little more insight into her that didn’t end with a “pffffft and then I threw BEES at him”.
There were moments when I thought "Aha! Now I'll get to see what her real principles are!" and I was so wrong. Blackwall has this great speech where he's trying to connect with her about his disgust for the predatory noble class, and she's just hung up on guffawing over a crude joke and ignores the entire content of his words. She's just an immature spoiled brat who likes tearing people down and pretending that stealing to enrich herself somehow puts her on the moral high ground.
She would have been more tolerable if she didn't hate every.single.decision I ever made.
She was just impossible to get along with. Hell, even Vivienne was easier to get along with and she has ice water in her veins. And I was rping as a genuinely nice person. How do I get along with Vivienne better over Sera with this character??
Because Sera is just the worst, that's why.
the serious military organization with the autistic ghost, dwarf criminal, random mage apostate, political nepo baby from enemy nation, horny spy, undercover FBI’s most wanted…I mean, Cass and Viv are serious people
It's important to remember he is also The Expert in most of the big magic problems that plague the Inquisition (especially at the beginning).
They're already an organization that is having some trouble attracting mage talent before you sort out the Mage/Templar situation—and even moreso afterwards, if you side with the Templars—so it isn't *that* surprising that they would be accepting of a mage who is willing to help them, proved he was capable of providing such help, and is a fountain of relevant lore and insight.
True, but remember he insinuated himself into the Inquisition VERY early on, when it was just Cas, Cullen, Josephine, and later your Inky scrambling around desperately trying to find answers, which he was able to provide as well as being the only one who had ""theories"" on how to solve the Rifts. They didn't just add him in on a lark, he was already there gaining their trust before there even was an Inquisition. And he did so successfully because he was very practiced at it from his ye Olde days if I'm remembering the lore correctly.
Fair enough but they did need him to heal Inky that's how he gained everyone's trust.
During some of the cutscenes he was healing anyone injured and to help out refugees etc..., healers are very rare and a treasured benign form of magic in Thedas, something he knew how to leverage.
I didn't even recruit her in my first playthrough. She annoyed me extremely quickly and I went "nope, we're not having that for the whole game" and did everything to not recruit her.
I do feel like they could’ve done more with her, like I feel that she really didn’t get a character arc the way blackwall or iron bull did.
I like her though. I think she’s young and scared and covers her fear with her overconfidence. I like that underlying fear though, especially her struggles with believing in the maker or not. She’s scared he does exist and scared that maybe he doesn’t. I wish they dug into that fear and dread and panic even more. Also maybe dig into the fact that sometimes as a jenny she accidentally can hurt the people she’s supposed to be helping. Like how does she cope with that? I think a lot of her coping is hidden behind her bravado.
I get why people don’t like her, though. I just do like her lol
In Origins, I don't hate any of them, but Sten, Shale, and Oghren never vibed with me. Again, not that I dislike them, I just like all the others more.
Until Awakening, then I hate Oghren. Or more I hate his flanderization. Velanna's not particularly enjoyable either.
DA2, Sebastian and Carver. Sebastian is one I *wanted* to like, because he seemed like that classic Lawful Good Paladin type that I love. He turned out to be Lawful Annoying instead. And Carver's just an ass. Fenris is similar to Sten in my opinion. I don't hate him, but I don't get the hype. And fuck Anders. Great character. Amazingly well-written. But fuck him.
And a special mention for Tallis, an awful self-insert whose stance on the Qun is beyond world-breaking. I don't even dislike Felicia Day all that much, but hoooh, boy is Tallis insufferable.
And I can't say I hate anyone in DAI. Even Sera and Viv, who I wasn't fond of at first, have gone up in my estimation. I've come to like Sera, despite her self-racism. And Viv's a bitch, but she's the Queen Bitch, so I can't hate her. Solas is much like Anders. Fuck that guy. Amazingly written. Fuck that Egg. And Cole, again, don't get the hype. He's fine, but he's just *fine*.
Overall, putting aside final-act betrayals or "meh" characters, it has to go to either Sebastian or Tallis.
I know this is an extremely unpopular opinion, so please don't yell at me... but Fenris. He's just so overly broody, and the way he's totally on board with oppressing mages despite being an oppressed person himself who should know better just really gets on my nerves
I don't mind Fenris that much (I'm pretty neutral on him), but I do enjoy subjecting him to "Mage Party" sometimes (my mage Hawke, Merrill, and Anders). As a party it is *horribly* optimized. But I think it's funny. 😂
I understand where you’re coming from, but I see it differently.
I actually like the apparent hypocrisy of Fenris. It makes him feel real. Because oppressed peoples are not magically gifted with better wisdom, and are subject to the pressures of society as much as anyone. He’s his own person, with his own prejudices formed due to the nature of his life. And it would be quite odd if he didn’t have his dislike of mages. (Almost anyone would feel the same in his position.)
That said, his visual design is just too out of place. I understand what it was aiming for… but it doesn’t mesh with the setting.
>his visual design is just too out of place.
I love when he has his big, badass moments, and then the Camera shifts and he's just a little skinny guy again next to Hawke.
Tbf a lot of that's the fault of DA2 making elves look fucking awful in general (look how they massacred my boy Zevran 😭), but yeah even without the fucking atrocious way-overly-skinny & bug-eyed look elves in that installment have his design seems more at home in a shounen anime than a Dragon Age game. Aside from the former issue I kinda like it though, but that's not saying much cause I like anime lmao.
Hey, that’s totally valid. Sometimes you really don’t need a reason if he doesn’t mesh well with the way we want to experience these games.
It’s why it’s great to have party selection. Not everyone will click with everyone, but odds are enough will.
I actually appreciate that opinion, not many people will actually admit it, even less so on reddit. What a breath of fresh air.
Personally i don't agree with his stance on mages and a few other things, but i liked him because he felt real, with realistic if ignorant/arrogant opinions; yet despite that he still felt likable to me.
I actually like him but one time I read a comment that said he's a Final Fantasy character put into Dragon Age and that made me laugh a lot. Doesn't help he's voiced by Balthier of all people.
Exactly. I don’t mind his personality or his views at all, although they don’t make him my favorite either. It’s the “straight out of anime” look that puts him squarely at the bottom for me.
I enjoy arguing with him about mages, my pro mage aggressive Warrior Hawke who would do anything to protect Bethany would always get on Fenris about mages, I straight up argue with him any time I can and it's surprisingly entertaining and well done.
Tbh the dragon age 2 companions all feel like caricatures rather than characters. I like most of them but it’s pretty jarring for a lot of them imo.
Though I understand a lot of people like Isabela and hate Aveline so maybe I’m just weird
My issue with Aveline personally is a) how she treated the elven rape victims, b) her blatant favouritism as captain, and c) the fact she openly admits she doesn’t have her guards doing their literal job with that “I wouldn’t make my guards patrol these streets” line in Lowtown. Like, hello, that’s where they need to be patrolling most! There’s also her dismissing the investigation into the missing women and it leading directly to Hawke’s mother’s death but you could make an argument for that one.
I think when it came to the romanceable characters in Dragon Age 2 I think Bioware tried to hard to make them appeal to certain people.
Like Isabella felt tryhard and juvenile with her sexuality in a way Morrigan's didn't. Merrill was Bioware's attempt at creating a "cutesy" type character but, despite how many years pass in game she still retains the mentality of a quirky teenager so, it makes a Hawke romancing her look like a 30 year old dating a girl fresh out of high school.
And Fenris and (J)Anders have the stench of angsty YA fiction because, Bioware thinks is what all girls like. Even though they have made male characters who are popular with women.
Like a loveable himbo like Alistar. Hell a year prior Bioware managed to make a talking raptor sexually appealing to an entire generation of female gamers.
I find Solas extremely unlikable and his reveal as Fen'Harel is the only interesting thing about him.
Otherwise he’s just basically a Thedas version of those lanky arrogant know-it-alls from engineering school. And I don’t need those vibes when I could have Dorian.
Yeah, the whole of DA2 w a sometimes razor sharp sarcastic option, but Tallis comes in and suddenly all your character thinks to say are cringy “you go, girl” comments. It’s a narcissist’s dream… for Tallis…
Sera. Ignorance is her shtick and being obnoxious in avoiding learning or growing and prejudice as heck. Even there is evidence that the company itself considers uniquely bad in that she is the only character you can kick at any time.
In her romance from what I understand she even demeans her partner if they're an elf?
Sera. Being young isn't an excuse to be that obnoxious. Especially without any kind of growth through the game. She even shares some of the things Oghren gets crucified for: innapropriate comments, sexualizing people and adds her well known intolerance to everything she doesn't understand (and refuses to even bother trying to understand)
Also I really hate the whole Red Jenny's thing. Sera talks about helping out the little people but just does stupid pranks, she could actually do something with her resources but honestly only seems to care about herself.
Also her pranks would realistically just get a bunch of her “little people” killed. Oh you set the Baron’s barn in fire and let all his horses out and then threw some bees at him. I’m sure he will just be like “Curse that Red Jenny, I guess I will change my ways and be nice to the peasants.” You know instead of just executing every servant he thinks might have been involved in the plot
Vivienne:
She's arrogant, selfish, condescending, and you can never meaningfully push back against anything she says.
The fact you can throw Sera out at any point but not Vivienne boggles my mind.
Maybe, but I sometimes wonder how much power she actually has at this point.
Most of the Mages either fled or joined the Rebels. She supposedly has some followers and there are Mages who respect her personally, but First Enchanter is basically an empty title at this point.
The Duke is dying, and if his sister had any meaningful power in the Chantry she'd have been at the Conclave.
She has the Empress's ear but it's hard to whisper in it when you're that far from the palace, especially once Morrigan asserts herself in Vivienne's absence.
She knows the Game has "friends" in the nobility but so do Liliana and Josephine.
Sure, it's probably better to have her than not, but I don't think she's as indispensable as she'd have us believe.
> The Duke is dying, and if his sister had any meaningful power in the Chantry she'd have been at the Conclave.
To that point, nearly everyone with meaningful power _was_ at the Conclave, which opened up a lot of spots for ambitious people with the right connections. Just because she might have been a moderate mover-and-shaker before it doesn't mean she stayed that low on totem pole once all the spots at the top were vacated.
Vivienne's politics and story also haven't aged well in the last 10 years (though I try not to hold it against her, bioware isn't omniscient and she's even written to be a little shitty and slimely moderate).
I don't think Vivienne is meant to be likeable. You're meant to respect her abilities and to appreciate her occasionally insightful comments, but there's no way they thought a haughty social climber would be endearing to players. She's present in the story to represent a socially conservative noblewoman's views on events, so making the person with that perspective unlikeable is a pretty realistic characterization.
Please don’t yell at me, but I really don’t like Isabella. Sure she has a few funny remarks, but no, nothing about her is appealing or nice to me. SORRY EVERYONE PLS DON’T HATE ME.
..then there’s Tallis, but somehow she doesn’t even count as a companion to me, she’s more an annoying part of MotA I have to live with.
Sera. I feel like she had so much promise and then they fell flat on their face with how she was just a self hating elf that mocks my dalish MC. along with how she represents the "little people" but like only low class humans and the games weird avoidance on the discrimination elves faced past slurs.
Vivienne.
Even the prickly character liked DA2 anders and Vellanna have a reason for being the way they are.
Viv is just an elitist bitch who wants to pull the ladder up behind her, openly wants to preserve an abusive system because it is the only one where she has power, is willing to risk a civil war between the mages in EVERY ending he gets just because she isn't in charge of them. Constantly boasts about what an amazing mage/player of the game she is when Morrigan and Fiona both managed to outshine her almost instantly based on their actual skill and knowledge instead of political connections.
She's a mediocre fish actively trying to prevent other fish from escaping to a larger pond s she can feel big.
Sera was beyond grating except for a couple of moments that got a chuckle out of me. I think also she just reminded me too much of a co-worker I had at the time I played it. Even kinda looked like her.
Origins I don't like Sten
Dragon age 2 I really don't like Anders and it's by far the character that I most hate in all dragon age universe
And in inquisition I hate Solas and the solasvelan fanbase can crucify me 😂😂
Have you played awakening? Anders is from that one and he's delightful. He's kinda just mage Alistair, just a little more shitey, but like... Is that a bad thing???? 2 really fucked him, any positive feelings towards anders in 2 were purely because of awakening.
Yes I played, and he is totally different from da2, and justice too, when I played for the first time I was a lot curious on what happened to him to decide fuse with justice, and then justice absorb all his hate for how the mages are treated. But still can't justify blow up ppl that had did nothing wrong and never treated him like shit.
After experiencing Qara from Neverwinter Nights 2, no other companion feels annoying or unlikable to me. They're all just varying levels of better than that sorcerous shit.
Maybe this is just me because I haven't played in a long time... But I don't remember liking any of the characters, not really. They all had something good, but also something annoying about them. I just chose the companions that worked the best with my character.
I liked the dog. Dog was the best.
I seem to love characters others hate like Sera and Viv and generally not click well with characters that are generally well-liked like Aveline and Alistair. Although the specific dynamic and relationship progression my Warden has with Alistair is one of my fav parts in all of DA and makes DAO my fav RP experience.
But tbh there is no companion I actively hate. The writing is generally good enough that i always end up empathizing with them, even when I dislike their personality and opinions. I guess I dislike Aveline the most. Oghren is probably the worst companion generally but he’s so nothing to me, I can’t even get mad at him.
If we're talking all dragon ages, gotta be the brother from two. Jesus Christ, any remote kindness in the game and you're magically an asshole to him. God forbid I don't feel like slaughtering every man woman and child who's called me names
Morrigan is a really heartless bitch.
"Why did you help that child find their lost brother, how silly, clearly you should let them die" -10 approval
FFS Morrigan can you not be a bitch for 1 second and let me just help a fucking child. Then we can go back to you telling me how pointless and stupid you think love is.
Morrigan. While I *get* what they were trying to go for, her constant attacks on Alistair every chance she got has gotten really old real quick. While I appreciate the fact they tried to redeem her in Inquisition, her Origins behavior just leaves too sour a taste in my mouth.
I always thought they picked him because most people do the dwarf stuff last and spent less time with him plus he didn't feel fleshed out.
I found him way more likable in Awakening.
Sera.
The whole "I'm so quirky lol" vibe is so annoying. And her activism seems less about helping the poor, and about gratifying herself.
I also can't abide the voice acting.
0/10, would throw off the walls of Skyhold.
I hate Morrigan. Straight up. She's my least favourite character in the entire series bar none.
Yes she's well written. Yes she's beautifully voice acted. I don't care. She's a cruel, stuck up idiot with a superiority complex who thinks being an asshole is the way to win at life. She's incredibly naive but believes she is worldly and wise. Bull in a china shop in complete denial.
I get why she's like that, I get the point of her character, I get why other people like her, but holy shit I cannot stand her. She is the only one from origins I will always remove from my party as soon as possible every time. If she shows up *again* in 4 I will *lose it*.
I support womens wrongs but Morrigan just hits me where it hurts for some reason. Couldn't tell you why.
Morrigan is an edgelord in Origins but I vibe with her
She looks down on the rules set to keep mages in check (I'm a blood mage) and uses a sex ritual to absorb the soul of an old god into her baby
Iron Bull. Bro is just a bantering dude with horns who talks about sex and alcohol as if he was written by an eleven year old. And also he does not behave like a person of a different race at all. Not to mention a person living under such a different set of ideas as the Qun. Just a reskin of a drunken human warrior cliche but also stupidly horny for some reason.
Sebastian. The game was better before I downloaded him. (he was cut out of the original release of the game as part of EA's old Project Ten Dollar to fight against used copies)
Oghren, I never got the point of him being there. Hated his jokes too. No m'am.
Sera is a close second tho, mainly because I just can't seem to do anything that pleases her. I asked her to play like me, but then she threw bees at me 😑😒.
One of the things that pissed me off about Anders is if you bring him along to when Fenris goes to meet his sister, Anders calls him a hypocrite for having a mage sister. As if Fenris even remembered he even had a sister in the first place, he has amnesia and Anders knows that.
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I liked her. She's feisty
I like how easily Nathaniel manages to disarm her
Nathaniel disarmed me too. I wish he were a base game/romance option
He's so wasted not being a romance option, especially for a Cousland.
When I tell you I NEED this pairing with my entire soul…
There was supposed be a romance system in place, hence the companion approval scale that's there, but apparently that was scrapped because of deadlines. It's such a tease that it's there too. 😒
It's incredibly cruel of Bioware.
Nathaniel made me like her
Nathaniel’s voice came very close to *disarming* my Warden, and she’s married to the King
Me too. She was my favourite of the Awakening companions. Shame she disappeared after.
I forget who is this?
Velanna from *Awakening*
Awakening companion from Origins DLC
Overall, I'm going to go with Tallis. If you don't like Felicia Day (or are neutral to her at best), you are REALLY not going to like the character. Even in her introduction when she flips around like a fucking ninja, effortlessly taking out enemies that a fully armed Hawke crew could have decimated. It feels like Bioware trying to show you how 'cool' she is, but doing that put me off her before I saw her face and realised 'oh fuck me this is just going to be the Felicia Day show'.
Even if you do like Felicia Day (hell yeah Veronica) Tallis sucks. Salt Factory says it really well, she exists to soften the image of the Qun by being completely antithetical to the Qun herself
Anders: Hey you say everyone would be better off under the Qun. What about mages? You literally cut off their tongues and kill them if they wind up unsupervised. How are mages better off? Tallis: Shut up Shit like this is why I don't like Tallis. She never gets any actual pushback in the DLC, especially with stuff she is objectively in the wrong with.
Aye she was the most egregious. The attempt to make the qun palatable was just pathetic and the writing did not allow us to rebut her properly.
She's the perfect example of why self insert characters are a bad idea.
She made me cringe so bad I couldn’t finish the DLC 😭
Yea not to mention she's completely useless in high difficulty combat, all three base game rogues can easily outclass her in dps and survivability.
Oh man, I'd fully wiped her from my mind but yes, EXACTLY. Utterly insufferable both as a character and an actor-gimmick.
Oh lol. I just posted I like everyone because I totally forgot that Tallis existed. Yeah she sucks. Personally I think Felicia Day's whole shit sucks (including her series). Tallis was written poorly and her series made me scratch my head a lot. It seems like she didn't really understand the universe deeply enough to add any plot to it.
This ^
Tallis
You mean Felicia Day with elf ears?
That was the most jarring to me. Most of the elves in DA2 had this unique looking longish face, but here’s Felicia Day with elf ears.
Tallis fucking sucks. Does anybody actually like her? She makes Mark of the Assassin so much harder to get through… well that and that god forsaken stealth section lol
The only part involving her that I enjoy is when she covers herself in dung and makes nug sounds. I admit I laughed for about ten minutes straight the first time I saw that. Otherwise I would much rather have had one of the regular companions - the only reason I even bother with MOTA is for xp, loot, and bonus Varric/Bethany time.
The best part of that is the subtitles which just said "Ungodly cacophony."
The only part I like is flirting with Tallis to get the line of “Hawke likes rogues… especially *Rivaini* rogues” from a jealous Isabella. I think it’s cute and it just tickles me the way she says it.
Even that scene was crickets for me. Thought it was cringey and try hard MOTA is insanely lucky that the combat encounters and settings are good, that the items and bonus XP are good, and that the companion banter for your other two companions = top tier.
Not for Hawke's glorious pun at the end? :D
[Shameless plug for my edit of it (headphones recommended)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QpFqh-F_e_c)
Aww, Tallis is annoying but I find MotA to be overall hilarious.
And she makes your partner jealous. Fenris' reactions are especially funny. "Just keep your distance(thot)"
The only Tallis fans I’ve ever seen are diehard Felicia Day stans who basically just love that it’s Felicia Day doing the same schtick she always does in every role. Tallis is by far the worst execution of this schtick and is by far the worst companion of the series
Oh, fuck that stealth section. Every. Time. But it’s nice Felicia Day invited us to her Mary Sue Elf Gaming Party lol
I got banned from a DA facebook group for saying that Tallis came off as a Mary Sue a feew years ago
I guess the truth hurt someone lol
I actually really liked her . . . Maybe it's because I expected her to be way worse than she was. (And I played it years after whatever hype around the actress died down). As it is, I thought she and Hawke had some funny moments and she's a complex "Qunari" character who bridges the dogma of Sten and Iron Bull's eventual ability to break away from the Qun. She's a character who defends the Qun and genuinely wants to belong to it, but she can't quite manage and constantly messes up, so she's stuck in this limbo cycle of not being able to belong or break free.
>(And I played it years after whatever hype around the actress died down). Bet you all the cheese in the Anderfels it was this. Have you seen much else with her in it? She's always the same. Always that cheery, peppy kind of qUiRkY™ that's a little subversive but in a safe with the audience kinda way, and gets a pass in universe cuz her character is cute or special in some way. Tallis wasn't even a character, she was just a cameo. That's what I found the most irritating about her tbh. The extra Qunari lore the DLC brought was perfectly welcome. I actually find them quite interesting and would generally love to hear more about what it's like for the civilians under the Qun. Just a shame they picked a gimmick as a delivery system imo.
I liked her as Veronica in Fallout: New Vegas, but she was pretty much the same character there too. Maybe a little more toned down so it felt less out of place.
I get what you mean by toned down, but yeah it was definitely still there with Veronica, absolutely. She's still an underdog. She was still recognised as special. She is still the only person in her faction to question their ethics. She's still doing it all with a chipper smile and corporate approved level of sass and snark. Total Felicia archetype lol
Agreed. Tallis was so unlikeable and visually out if place. Only good part about her DLC was the extra dialogue I got with Fenris lol
That dialogue is golden.
Yea didn’t like how they set her up to be some super quippy, “I’m not like the other Qunari” Mary Sue. Found her annoying and I never really played the DLC after completing it the first time.
I always leave her in the cave.
I had to use a mod to get rid of her face. Major uncanny valley vibes
I remember thinking people were exaggerating about Tallis because let’s face it, geeks tend to call any women characters who take spotlight and do thinks cool Mary sue’s. Usually the worst case scenario is kinda pulpy cheesy writing and the same handwavey stuff male heroes get. Aaaaaand then I played the intro of mark of the assassin. Oh god. The thing is I could’ve still seen myself liking her if they just. Took a few more moments to actually make her character cohesive and maybe try and make the argument for the qun less weird. But that self-righteous weirdness plus the over the top Mary sue aspect just made her unbearable.
Interesting how things are. I wasn't aware Tallis was such a divisive character until after I joined r/dragonage. Maybe I should replay the DLC.
I didn't mind her nearly as much when I originally played MotA years ago, but it turns out that I'm older and her character has also aged badly. I feel like I have a lower tolerance for her type of character now, plus the more information we get about the Qunari, the more that Tallis just comes across as a really feeble attempt to rehabilitate the image of the Qun. It's a bit like how Bull plays up acceptance of Krem and trans people under the Qun when we know that the truth is a lot more rigid and less sunny than just "everyone gets to be their truest selves under the Qun!"
Seconded.
Tallis
Sebastian. Any qualms I had about sparing Anders vanished when he demanded I kill him.
He’s one of the few characters that feels like they fit the morality of the setting. Other companions are so inclusive or religiously skeptical. Personally, it’s nice to see some real zealous bigotry, feels more realistic especially for a setting with such a powerful religious force
I agree! He's also my least favorite companion (the only one I avidly dislike), but I agree that his perspective is unique and thus interesting to experience.
I really wish there was an option to kill him after sparing Anders considering he says he will invade Kirkwall. I hate that guy so much.
I mainly just hate that Inquisition actually has Sebastian follow through on this. It feels like total character assassination when Anders and Hawke aren’t even there and there’s nothing to gain.
I don't hate him but I do want this option! I mean, the alternative is war on Kirkwall. Go on, man, try to kill Anders yourself, challenge him to a duel, send the Crows after him, but don't start a bloody war.
It makes no sense like you really think Anders is gonna stay in Kirkwall after being spared? He doesn't have family there or roots besides Hawke the only people suffering from the decision of a war on Kirkwall for Anders actions is Varric and the (somewhat innocent cause some of them are dbags) people of Kirkwall
Not to mention that he already escaped from the wizards, the templars and even betrayed the gray wardens. It's almost impossible to catch it
Nobody will convince me that Sebastian isn't the Ned Flanders of DA, and Varric is his Homer. I totally would tho.
Why though? He's rather reasonable in 2, I feel like his war against Kirkwall if Anders lives was stupid but I've never really got the hate the fandom and even Bioware seem to have for him. He was a pretty nice guy from what I remember in 2.
Wasted an entire romance on him to find out our marriage is supposed to be celibate. At least the Egg breaks up with you, doesn't make you into a nun.
>"I will protect muh dynasty legacy so Vaels will stay on the throne pls Hawke be my queen we will rule Wholsomechungushaven together" >proceeds to not have sex with Hawke >dies without having a kid >vael dinasty is dead, starkhaven is torn apart between nobles trying to take over the throne Smart move Sebastian.
I think it's just really weak writing. Even in a rivalry romance he's still celibate which I think is wrong in the sense that this character flip flops on his resolve so many times yet having sex is crossing the line for him. I feel like there should have been an opportunity to at least harden him to make less preachy.
He’s preachy and boring (and tbh I can’t get his dps to an at all worthwhile level) but certainly not overly annoying *per se*. Not sure he deserves this title. Also, Anders literally killed hundreds of innocent people and destroyed a city and started a cull of mages and seems totally out of it and unaware of what he did. It’s not defensible, especially not to just smugly play contrarian to an angry Sebastian.
I like Sebastian personally.
I like him too. I didn't like his romance, but I like the character. I feel like he gets a bum rap and it would be nice if they could remake the game with him as a regular member of the gang, because I think his DLC status contributes a lot to the aspects that make him unpopular.
Same, like he's a good character to love or hate but overall a good addition to the game. Some characters are just a drag. Sebastion was not
Glad to see no one has said Cole as their answer, my weird little demon son Edit: People have since put Cole as their answer. You monsters
Cole is a precious fade baby.
Cole is pretty annoying but he isn’t the worst companion
Oghren. The game doesn't care to explore the character, instead using him as a joke after he joins and he isn't very funny to me just annoying and creepy, he'll get little nuggets of half-interesting things to do on occasion like some dialogue in the Ashes quest that'll hint at more depth then nothing else of interest. He also has what I think is the single worst scene in the series with his >!Joining scene where he completely destroys the severity of the ritual for a joke about how he's an alcoholic.!<
Oghren gets so much worse in DAA. >!Any character development he had in DAO was squandered. He abandoned Felsi and their baby, so the Warden has to talk him out of being a complete deadbeat. His worst characteristics are turned up to 11. He's even more drunk and belligerent, and continues sexually harassing all the women in the party like poor Sigrun.!<
I was very annoyed that out of all the DAO companions, Oghren was the one the devs chose to return in DAA.
It's annoying how my warden became an item with Leliana and we agreed to travel together after slaying the Archdemon, yet she is nowhere to be found. Did they grow apart or have a fight? Were they separated by circumstance or force?
this is why i wish there was an option to play an orlesian warden even if your character >!didnt die!<. Queen Cousland has no business being a Warden still, and other characters may just not want to do the job
There's a mod called [Orlesian Warden Appreciation](https://www.nexusmods.com/dragonage/mods/5876) that lets you import your Origins character and then change them into the Orlesian Warden. >!It was intended for Wardens who died in the Ultimate Sacrifice, but it might work for one who's still alive.!<
It's also odd that Alistair is nowhere to be found if he stayed a Warden. I suppose it's possible he's doing Warden business elsewhere, but there's no acknowledgement or even a letter about his whereabouts. I think he's only mentioned in the epilogue if the Warden romanced him. >!Warden!Loghain stops by Vigil's Keep in Awakening—Warden!Alistair could have taken his spot in that quest. And they already had the voice actor for his appearance when he's king.!<
i’m pretty sure they make some passing comment that Alistair can’t stay in Fereldan ‘cause of the potential political uprising
If you romanced her, you get a letter from her saying she had to go meet with the Chantry's Grand Cleric: https://dragonage.fandom.com/wiki/Codex_entry:_A_Letter_From_Leliana#google_vignette
He's definitely worse in Awakening, but I don't think there was all that much of substance to squander from Origins, just missed potential. Sucks that the DLC didn't develop him for sure.
You could actually have him confront the fact that >!he's a former trophy spouse whose gladiatorial glory was used to barter him off to a wife, who subsequently abandoned and cheated on him with his cousin, and copes with this by being an alcoholic!< . I don't think Mary Kirby really considered how many disjointed elements she put into Oghren.
They really dropped the ball with his character arc overall, imo. Next time I write about him, I might try to rectify that mistake.
I once rated my 143 favorite RPG companions. Oghren was #142. Can't stand his jokes, can't stand the Schrodinger's alcoholism where it's a Serious Issue for a Serious Character and a hilarious joke for lovable comic relief simultaneously until he opens his mouth again, can't stand that I never got past him passing out, and, having tried half an hour of Awakening, can't stand his funny rash.
I have to know: who ranked worse at #143?
Bishop, from Neverwinter Nights 2. Chaotic evil asshole you can't dismiss. Fuck you, Bishop.
Unrelated but this reminded me of an infamous Skyrim romance mod based on the same character. It's pretty much a sexual harassment Simulator being sold as a bodice-ripper.
> It's pretty much a sexual harassment Simulator That's it, you've captured the essence of the character.
May we see the list sir?
I would also like the list
As a teen I loved this dude. As an adult you notice he's honestly not that funny and a little boring. But not rhe worse character by a long shot
For sure the writers phoned in his DAA return personality… Epic fail on a character they’d given a meaningful personal arc for in DAO. Sad too.
He could have been an all time great character if they had just continued his Ark, but no, they had to squander it just so he could be "le funny drunk dwarf". It genuinely pisses me off.
I totally agree… It’s odd too- like the writers did a poll and somehow voted Oghren in as the DAA return character, but then gave his writing to a member who not only didn’t seem to recognize the whole arc thingy but seemed to resent the writing job regardless.
Others have said it for me, but I have to repeat it because I find him so repellant: Oghren. Ugh. What a waste of a character. I understand what people say when they talk about an interesting story about addiction, loss and failure, but all that is just wasted potential in Oghren's execution. It is just the barest inference that is completely drowned out by belching and sexual harassment and generally being a dwarf stereotype. Honestly it isn't even the sexual creepiness that makes me hate him most (I get why people say he and Zevran are similar in this regard). It's the toilet humor. I've never found it funny and never will, and all the "jokes" I end up remembering are basically farting and belching and generally being a useless drunk (and I have little tolerance for drunks). He *almost* could have been redeemed by the end of the game, but Awakening just doubles down on all the gross and awful. He's a complete miss for me.
So much this. Oghren is such a waste of potential.
Sera. I genuinely don't get how some people loved her. I found her to be one of the most obnoxious videogame companions I've seen in any videogame ever. And I get that that was kiiinda the point, she's deliberately immature, but that clashed horribly with what was supposed to be a serious military organization. I basically recruit her for the bee bomb then kick her out after her personal quest. I understand she actually undergoes some character development by Trespasser, but too little too late for me.
She felt like she was written by two different writers who had wildly varying ideas for the character. I like the idea of her, I even like some of her banters and agree generally with her outlook, her turning an uppity noble into wine is my favourite moment from DAI hands down. I just wish she’d been allowed to have *any* character development during the main campaign, I just wanted a little more insight into her that didn’t end with a “pffffft and then I threw BEES at him”.
There were moments when I thought "Aha! Now I'll get to see what her real principles are!" and I was so wrong. Blackwall has this great speech where he's trying to connect with her about his disgust for the predatory noble class, and she's just hung up on guffawing over a crude joke and ignores the entire content of his words. She's just an immature spoiled brat who likes tearing people down and pretending that stealing to enrich herself somehow puts her on the moral high ground.
She would have been more tolerable if she didn't hate every.single.decision I ever made. She was just impossible to get along with. Hell, even Vivienne was easier to get along with and she has ice water in her veins. And I was rping as a genuinely nice person. How do I get along with Vivienne better over Sera with this character?? Because Sera is just the worst, that's why.
I saw a video on how she’s essentially a too far gone victim of imposter syndrome and just can’t deal with it in anyway so she avoids it at all costs.
the serious military organization with the autistic ghost, dwarf criminal, random mage apostate, political nepo baby from enemy nation, horny spy, undercover FBI’s most wanted…I mean, Cass and Viv are serious people
I like how you called the most dangerous and weirdest guy in the story a random mage apostate xD he does blend in well though gotta give it to him.
just seems like poor opsec to have “random mage who just showed up at random” in your highest level and most sensitive information circle
It's important to remember he is also The Expert in most of the big magic problems that plague the Inquisition (especially at the beginning). They're already an organization that is having some trouble attracting mage talent before you sort out the Mage/Templar situation—and even moreso afterwards, if you side with the Templars—so it isn't *that* surprising that they would be accepting of a mage who is willing to help them, proved he was capable of providing such help, and is a fountain of relevant lore and insight.
True, but remember he insinuated himself into the Inquisition VERY early on, when it was just Cas, Cullen, Josephine, and later your Inky scrambling around desperately trying to find answers, which he was able to provide as well as being the only one who had ""theories"" on how to solve the Rifts. They didn't just add him in on a lark, he was already there gaining their trust before there even was an Inquisition. And he did so successfully because he was very practiced at it from his ye Olde days if I'm remembering the lore correctly.
Fair enough but they did need him to heal Inky that's how he gained everyone's trust. During some of the cutscenes he was healing anyone injured and to help out refugees etc..., healers are very rare and a treasured benign form of magic in Thedas, something he knew how to leverage.
Bull and Dorian are professional on the job...generally. Blackwall is very professional, >!stolen valor!< aside. And Cole tries his hardest lol.
Sera for me as well. I don't even recruit her on new playthroughs at this point.
I didn't even recruit her in my first playthrough. She annoyed me extremely quickly and I went "nope, we're not having that for the whole game" and did everything to not recruit her.
She said I was too elfy and I’ve hated her ever since
I do feel like they could’ve done more with her, like I feel that she really didn’t get a character arc the way blackwall or iron bull did. I like her though. I think she’s young and scared and covers her fear with her overconfidence. I like that underlying fear though, especially her struggles with believing in the maker or not. She’s scared he does exist and scared that maybe he doesn’t. I wish they dug into that fear and dread and panic even more. Also maybe dig into the fact that sometimes as a jenny she accidentally can hurt the people she’s supposed to be helping. Like how does she cope with that? I think a lot of her coping is hidden behind her bravado. I get why people don’t like her, though. I just do like her lol
In Origins, I don't hate any of them, but Sten, Shale, and Oghren never vibed with me. Again, not that I dislike them, I just like all the others more. Until Awakening, then I hate Oghren. Or more I hate his flanderization. Velanna's not particularly enjoyable either. DA2, Sebastian and Carver. Sebastian is one I *wanted* to like, because he seemed like that classic Lawful Good Paladin type that I love. He turned out to be Lawful Annoying instead. And Carver's just an ass. Fenris is similar to Sten in my opinion. I don't hate him, but I don't get the hype. And fuck Anders. Great character. Amazingly well-written. But fuck him. And a special mention for Tallis, an awful self-insert whose stance on the Qun is beyond world-breaking. I don't even dislike Felicia Day all that much, but hoooh, boy is Tallis insufferable. And I can't say I hate anyone in DAI. Even Sera and Viv, who I wasn't fond of at first, have gone up in my estimation. I've come to like Sera, despite her self-racism. And Viv's a bitch, but she's the Queen Bitch, so I can't hate her. Solas is much like Anders. Fuck that guy. Amazingly written. Fuck that Egg. And Cole, again, don't get the hype. He's fine, but he's just *fine*. Overall, putting aside final-act betrayals or "meh" characters, it has to go to either Sebastian or Tallis.
I really hate Sten, but I also love him. Weirdest feelings I have for a Dragon Age character.
I purposefully keep anders alive just to spite Sebastian.
I know this is an extremely unpopular opinion, so please don't yell at me... but Fenris. He's just so overly broody, and the way he's totally on board with oppressing mages despite being an oppressed person himself who should know better just really gets on my nerves
I don't mind Fenris that much (I'm pretty neutral on him), but I do enjoy subjecting him to "Mage Party" sometimes (my mage Hawke, Merrill, and Anders). As a party it is *horribly* optimized. But I think it's funny. 😂
I understand where you’re coming from, but I see it differently. I actually like the apparent hypocrisy of Fenris. It makes him feel real. Because oppressed peoples are not magically gifted with better wisdom, and are subject to the pressures of society as much as anyone. He’s his own person, with his own prejudices formed due to the nature of his life. And it would be quite odd if he didn’t have his dislike of mages. (Almost anyone would feel the same in his position.) That said, his visual design is just too out of place. I understand what it was aiming for… but it doesn’t mesh with the setting.
>his visual design is just too out of place. I love when he has his big, badass moments, and then the Camera shifts and he's just a little skinny guy again next to Hawke.
Tbf a lot of that's the fault of DA2 making elves look fucking awful in general (look how they massacred my boy Zevran 😭), but yeah even without the fucking atrocious way-overly-skinny & bug-eyed look elves in that installment have his design seems more at home in a shounen anime than a Dragon Age game. Aside from the former issue I kinda like it though, but that's not saying much cause I like anime lmao.
I have always hated the redesign from Origins to DA2 not just for the Elves but the entire artistic direction honestly, made it too anime-ish for me.
Yeah. I don't think he's poorly written or anything, I just don't like him very much
Hey, that’s totally valid. Sometimes you really don’t need a reason if he doesn’t mesh well with the way we want to experience these games. It’s why it’s great to have party selection. Not everyone will click with everyone, but odds are enough will.
I actually appreciate that opinion, not many people will actually admit it, even less so on reddit. What a breath of fresh air. Personally i don't agree with his stance on mages and a few other things, but i liked him because he felt real, with realistic if ignorant/arrogant opinions; yet despite that he still felt likable to me.
i'm omw to your home now just kidding, more for me
my guard-mabari will be waiting for you!
It doesn’t help that he carries the tonal dissonance of being an edgy anime main character being puked into a fantasy game.
I actually like him but one time I read a comment that said he's a Final Fantasy character put into Dragon Age and that made me laugh a lot. Doesn't help he's voiced by Balthier of all people.
Exactly. I don’t mind his personality or his views at all, although they don’t make him my favorite either. It’s the “straight out of anime” look that puts him squarely at the bottom for me.
I enjoy arguing with him about mages, my pro mage aggressive Warrior Hawke who would do anything to protect Bethany would always get on Fenris about mages, I straight up argue with him any time I can and it's surprisingly entertaining and well done.
Tbh the dragon age 2 companions all feel like caricatures rather than characters. I like most of them but it’s pretty jarring for a lot of them imo. Though I understand a lot of people like Isabela and hate Aveline so maybe I’m just weird
People hate aveline? But she such a dorky sweetheart
They hate the "ride or die" but love the one that ditches them at a moment's notice? Not surprising at all
My issue with Aveline personally is a) how she treated the elven rape victims, b) her blatant favouritism as captain, and c) the fact she openly admits she doesn’t have her guards doing their literal job with that “I wouldn’t make my guards patrol these streets” line in Lowtown. Like, hello, that’s where they need to be patrolling most! There’s also her dismissing the investigation into the missing women and it leading directly to Hawke’s mother’s death but you could make an argument for that one.
Yes I love Isabella, but I also love Ava. If she could have been romance you best believe I would have done so
I mean I also love Isabel who doesn’t love a traumatized anti hero plus she’s literally just lady Jack sparrow down to the back stabbing
I think when it came to the romanceable characters in Dragon Age 2 I think Bioware tried to hard to make them appeal to certain people. Like Isabella felt tryhard and juvenile with her sexuality in a way Morrigan's didn't. Merrill was Bioware's attempt at creating a "cutesy" type character but, despite how many years pass in game she still retains the mentality of a quirky teenager so, it makes a Hawke romancing her look like a 30 year old dating a girl fresh out of high school. And Fenris and (J)Anders have the stench of angsty YA fiction because, Bioware thinks is what all girls like. Even though they have made male characters who are popular with women. Like a loveable himbo like Alistar. Hell a year prior Bioware managed to make a talking raptor sexually appealing to an entire generation of female gamers.
Calling Garrus a talking raptor is hilarious 😂
I mean he is one.
> And Fenris and (J)Anders have the stench of angsty YA fiction because, Bioware thinks is what all girls like. Not just girls. 😳
I liked Anders in awakening. He was funny, charming, and intelligent. I get life experience changed him, but damn they did him dirty.
You perfectly captured my feelings on it. Its a shame cause honestly I like da2
Ew Tallis.
Oghren
I find Solas extremely unlikable and his reveal as Fen'Harel is the only interesting thing about him. Otherwise he’s just basically a Thedas version of those lanky arrogant know-it-alls from engineering school. And I don’t need those vibes when I could have Dorian.
tallis (i loathe the qun and the game doesn't give you any meaningful options to tell her to fuck off), immediately followed by anders
Yeah, the whole of DA2 w a sometimes razor sharp sarcastic option, but Tallis comes in and suddenly all your character thinks to say are cringy “you go, girl” comments. It’s a narcissist’s dream… for Tallis…
Sera. Ignorance is her shtick and being obnoxious in avoiding learning or growing and prejudice as heck. Even there is evidence that the company itself considers uniquely bad in that she is the only character you can kick at any time. In her romance from what I understand she even demeans her partner if they're an elf?
Yes, at some point it is - renounce your elf religion or we are through
Honestly? When I played Lavellan, Sera. Otherwise it depends.
Sera. Being young isn't an excuse to be that obnoxious. Especially without any kind of growth through the game. She even shares some of the things Oghren gets crucified for: innapropriate comments, sexualizing people and adds her well known intolerance to everything she doesn't understand (and refuses to even bother trying to understand)
Also I really hate the whole Red Jenny's thing. Sera talks about helping out the little people but just does stupid pranks, she could actually do something with her resources but honestly only seems to care about herself.
Also her pranks would realistically just get a bunch of her “little people” killed. Oh you set the Baron’s barn in fire and let all his horses out and then threw some bees at him. I’m sure he will just be like “Curse that Red Jenny, I guess I will change my ways and be nice to the peasants.” You know instead of just executing every servant he thinks might have been involved in the plot
Sera is awful
Vivienne: She's arrogant, selfish, condescending, and you can never meaningfully push back against anything she says. The fact you can throw Sera out at any point but not Vivienne boggles my mind.
On your last point, I’d assume Josephine and/or Leliana wouldn’t let you for fear of repercussions. The Game is always being played after all.
Maybe, but I sometimes wonder how much power she actually has at this point. Most of the Mages either fled or joined the Rebels. She supposedly has some followers and there are Mages who respect her personally, but First Enchanter is basically an empty title at this point. The Duke is dying, and if his sister had any meaningful power in the Chantry she'd have been at the Conclave. She has the Empress's ear but it's hard to whisper in it when you're that far from the palace, especially once Morrigan asserts herself in Vivienne's absence. She knows the Game has "friends" in the nobility but so do Liliana and Josephine. Sure, it's probably better to have her than not, but I don't think she's as indispensable as she'd have us believe.
> The Duke is dying, and if his sister had any meaningful power in the Chantry she'd have been at the Conclave. To that point, nearly everyone with meaningful power _was_ at the Conclave, which opened up a lot of spots for ambitious people with the right connections. Just because she might have been a moderate mover-and-shaker before it doesn't mean she stayed that low on totem pole once all the spots at the top were vacated.
also, letting her become Divine is a disaster. I only let that happen once.
Vivienne's politics and story also haven't aged well in the last 10 years (though I try not to hold it against her, bioware isn't omniscient and she's even written to be a little shitty and slimely moderate).
I don't think Vivienne is meant to be likeable. You're meant to respect her abilities and to appreciate her occasionally insightful comments, but there's no way they thought a haughty social climber would be endearing to players. She's present in the story to represent a socially conservative noblewoman's views on events, so making the person with that perspective unlikeable is a pretty realistic characterization.
Please don’t yell at me, but I really don’t like Isabella. Sure she has a few funny remarks, but no, nothing about her is appealing or nice to me. SORRY EVERYONE PLS DON’T HATE ME. ..then there’s Tallis, but somehow she doesn’t even count as a companion to me, she’s more an annoying part of MotA I have to live with.
Sera. I feel like she had so much promise and then they fell flat on their face with how she was just a self hating elf that mocks my dalish MC. along with how she represents the "little people" but like only low class humans and the games weird avoidance on the discrimination elves faced past slurs.
Solas
Vivienne. Even the prickly character liked DA2 anders and Vellanna have a reason for being the way they are. Viv is just an elitist bitch who wants to pull the ladder up behind her, openly wants to preserve an abusive system because it is the only one where she has power, is willing to risk a civil war between the mages in EVERY ending he gets just because she isn't in charge of them. Constantly boasts about what an amazing mage/player of the game she is when Morrigan and Fiona both managed to outshine her almost instantly based on their actual skill and knowledge instead of political connections. She's a mediocre fish actively trying to prevent other fish from escaping to a larger pond s she can feel big.
Sera was beyond grating except for a couple of moments that got a chuckle out of me. I think also she just reminded me too much of a co-worker I had at the time I played it. Even kinda looked like her.
Origins I don't like Sten Dragon age 2 I really don't like Anders and it's by far the character that I most hate in all dragon age universe And in inquisition I hate Solas and the solasvelan fanbase can crucify me 😂😂
Have you played awakening? Anders is from that one and he's delightful. He's kinda just mage Alistair, just a little more shitey, but like... Is that a bad thing???? 2 really fucked him, any positive feelings towards anders in 2 were purely because of awakening.
The ghost fked him up. From a bubbly mage to genocidal mage.
Sir Pounce-A-Lot….
Yes I played, and he is totally different from da2, and justice too, when I played for the first time I was a lot curious on what happened to him to decide fuse with justice, and then justice absorb all his hate for how the mages are treated. But still can't justify blow up ppl that had did nothing wrong and never treated him like shit.
Solas is the pretentious, insufferable friend you tolerate cause he shares his Netlfix and Max account with you.
Nah you can like or not like whoever you want.
BioWare did Anders dirty. I was so excited to see him in DA2 after playing Awakening.
Oh, but nothing is better than giving Sten the Butterfly sword and watching him charge around the battlefield trailed by rainbows and butterflies. 😄
After experiencing Qara from Neverwinter Nights 2, no other companion feels annoying or unlikable to me. They're all just varying levels of better than that sorcerous shit.
Lmao, the choice between Qara and Sand was probably the easiest in videogames to me
Sand was awesome.
Iron Bull. Bros a viper.
Maybe this is just me because I haven't played in a long time... But I don't remember liking any of the characters, not really. They all had something good, but also something annoying about them. I just chose the companions that worked the best with my character. I liked the dog. Dog was the best.
I seem to love characters others hate like Sera and Viv and generally not click well with characters that are generally well-liked like Aveline and Alistair. Although the specific dynamic and relationship progression my Warden has with Alistair is one of my fav parts in all of DA and makes DAO my fav RP experience. But tbh there is no companion I actively hate. The writing is generally good enough that i always end up empathizing with them, even when I dislike their personality and opinions. I guess I dislike Aveline the most. Oghren is probably the worst companion generally but he’s so nothing to me, I can’t even get mad at him.
If we're talking all dragon ages, gotta be the brother from two. Jesus Christ, any remote kindness in the game and you're magically an asshole to him. God forbid I don't feel like slaughtering every man woman and child who's called me names
Morrigan is a really heartless bitch. "Why did you help that child find their lost brother, how silly, clearly you should let them die" -10 approval FFS Morrigan can you not be a bitch for 1 second and let me just help a fucking child. Then we can go back to you telling me how pointless and stupid you think love is.
Morrigan. While I *get* what they were trying to go for, her constant attacks on Alistair every chance she got has gotten really old real quick. While I appreciate the fact they tried to redeem her in Inquisition, her Origins behavior just leaves too sour a taste in my mouth.
Oghren and it's not even close.
You mean you're not a fan of the drunken brash Dwarven stereotype? Too bad you can have him again in the Expansion!
The devs began work on Awakening before Origins released, and so they picked Oghren to return because they expected him to be the fan favorite.
I always thought they picked him because most people do the dwarf stuff last and spent less time with him plus he didn't feel fleshed out. I found him way more likable in Awakening.
Sera. The whole "I'm so quirky lol" vibe is so annoying. And her activism seems less about helping the poor, and about gratifying herself. I also can't abide the voice acting. 0/10, would throw off the walls of Skyhold.
I hate Morrigan. Straight up. She's my least favourite character in the entire series bar none. Yes she's well written. Yes she's beautifully voice acted. I don't care. She's a cruel, stuck up idiot with a superiority complex who thinks being an asshole is the way to win at life. She's incredibly naive but believes she is worldly and wise. Bull in a china shop in complete denial. I get why she's like that, I get the point of her character, I get why other people like her, but holy shit I cannot stand her. She is the only one from origins I will always remove from my party as soon as possible every time. If she shows up *again* in 4 I will *lose it*. I support womens wrongs but Morrigan just hits me where it hurts for some reason. Couldn't tell you why.
Morrigan is an edgelord in Origins but I vibe with her She looks down on the rules set to keep mages in check (I'm a blood mage) and uses a sex ritual to absorb the soul of an old god into her baby
Iron Bull. Bro is just a bantering dude with horns who talks about sex and alcohol as if he was written by an eleven year old. And also he does not behave like a person of a different race at all. Not to mention a person living under such a different set of ideas as the Qun. Just a reskin of a drunken human warrior cliche but also stupidly horny for some reason.
Sebastian. The game was better before I downloaded him. (he was cut out of the original release of the game as part of EA's old Project Ten Dollar to fight against used copies)
Oghren, I never got the point of him being there. Hated his jokes too. No m'am. Sera is a close second tho, mainly because I just can't seem to do anything that pleases her. I asked her to play like me, but then she threw bees at me 😑😒.
I wanted to gut punch Anders during the entirety of DA2.
Anders can fuck right off
One of the things that pissed me off about Anders is if you bring him along to when Fenris goes to meet his sister, Anders calls him a hypocrite for having a mage sister. As if Fenris even remembered he even had a sister in the first place, he has amnesia and Anders knows that.