I thought about maybe doing a bit of a retrospective on it, but I already don’t have that much time. Just know that I still had a blast replaying this game. This time, I was able to really delve into it unlike with my first long playthrough. I made some thankfully better decisions. Alistair didn’t leave my party, Zervan became a good friend, and I held off going off into those dang Deep Roads. I still couldn’t romance Morrigan nor Wynne (Bioware dropped the ball on some old lady action!), but Leliana still fits that role in a good way. I also was able to play more companion quests as well.
The game play is still the same in that weird “turn-based/real-time action”, but I got used to it. I was also curious about the rest of the DLCs I didn’t play through way back when. That Witch Hunt DLC was a waste, finding an old Warden castle was alright, and returning to Ostagar was interesting. Anyway, since I have been able to do a more detailed playthrough of the game, I thought a new companion ranking would be good. I did one back in 2015 with all the main companions in the games. This time, it’s just gonna be the Origins ones, and I mean all of them. I’ll even throw in the DLC ones this time. I’ll also add a quick tip on gameplay.
1. Morrigan - Ah, Morrigan. If there was any one character that was hard to romance, it’s her. It could’ve been my paragon-like attitude, or the fact I like redheads. Anyway, Morrigan is our powerful mage apostate of the group. Her monther, Flemeth (who's voiced by Captain Janeway), thrusts her into our group, and it's a good thing. She’s witty, catty, and just an overall witch. There’s a reason that she’s one of the best companions in the series. I’ve always been fond of her even though she’s hard to please romance-wise. She’s probably the most powerful mage of the group, so do what you can to max out that destructive power.
2. Lelianna - Next is Lelianna, our former assassin with a pious heart. You meet her in Lothering as she helps you stop a bar fight and tags along because the Maker said so. Whether you believe that or not, she’s a big help during the campaign. She’s one of the best romanceable characters I’ve run into, and she has good interactions with the crew. Her arrow play kinda sucks, but that’s a small issue with the gameplay in general. Try to build up those as well as her other rogue abilities.
3. Alistair - Next is the dude who I really screwed over the first time. I didn’t make that mistake here. Alistair is one of the surviving Grey Wardens you team up with to face the Blight. Even though he’s a bit of a jokester, he’s a skilled fighter and has a bit of pathos to his backstory. He probably has the saddest side mission of the crew. His interactions with everyone is gold. I had a good time playing with him. I just made sure to strengthen his big attacks and defenses since he’s warrior class.
4. Zervan - Zervan was another companion I didn’t get to play with for long in my first playthrough. Dude was too friendly, okay? This time, I wanted to make sure he stuck around, and he thankfully made the experience better. Zervan was a part of the Antivan Crows, a clandestine group of assassins and mercenaries. Even though he was a killer, there was more to the smooth-talking Elf. You have to listen to his stories once he makes it to your crew. Since Leliana was my main arrowhead, I left Zervan with the daggers which helped out a lot.
5. Wynne - Next up is the older lady of the group. Wynne is a part of the Circle of Mages and you run into her while Fereldan’s Circle is being attacked. She may not be too spry, but she does pack a punch magic-wise. She’s pretty wise and just an overall good person. She’s also one of the few companions I wish I could romance… yeah, I said it! That sultry voice got to me! Anyway, I mainly buffed up her healing abilities and some of the more destructive ones.
6. Oghren - I don’t know how Oghren ended up on my favorites list from years ago. Maybe it was due to not playing his side mission. Looking at Reddit, I never knew how reviled he is by some fans. I can definitely see it now, but I still have some fondness for the drunkard. He’s got an interesting backstory with one villain. He’s also one of the returning companions for the Awakening DLC. Yes, he is a douche, but I can tolerate him. He’s also good with his two-handed abilities.
7. Sten - Our representative Qunari, aka “Sten”, is our big strongman for the main game. We meet him as a prisoner in Lothering for… killing a family. Qunari aren’t known for being kind. Even though beliefs and ways are a mystery to you, he joins the party to help stop the Archdemon. Sten was alright. You kind of have to be as stern as he is to really get him. You don’t learn too much about him other than what the Qunari believe, and that’s fine. He’s good for his powerhouse abilities.
8. Loghain - It’s not everyday where a game gives you a chance to play one of the main villains. For those who don’t know, Loghain is your main human villain throughout the game. At some point, you get a chance to give the guy a chance at redemption by joining the group. I took a chance and was whelmed. He’s basically another Alistair warrior-wise, but his personality and attitude were interesting. He’s gruff and rough around the edges. You also get some insight into his actions and past during the game. I didn’t get much play with him, but he was okay from what I remember.
9. Shale - Shale was a DLC character who I never got to play with during the first playthrough of the main game. Once I was able to move freely in this last playthrough, I made sure to add her to the group. Shale was once a dwarf who was put into the body of a Golem centuries ago. After she is passed from owner to owner, you get her. I didn’t get to play with her much, but Shale was fun. She hated people and birds, especially birds. She’s also one you really want to have with you when you get to the Deep Roads. Her abilities were pretty unique too. She was definitely the powerhouse of the group.
10. Dog, aka “Python” aka “Sin Eater” - I never knew what to name Dog. You find Dog through a variety of ways in the game. He's either yours initially, or you find him after the battle of Ostagar. I barely used him in my first playthrough and tried to use him more this time. You get some good and funny interactions with yourself and with the other companions. Some of his abilities are pretty fun, but that’s really it.
DLC Companions - I'm splitting them up so it won't get too jumbled. It's already a long list.
1. Anders - Anders was a runaway mage who joins up with you during the Awakening DLC. Yes, we meet this blonde bastard here… sorry. I shouldn’t let my dislike of the man affect him here since he was probably one of the better companions during Awakening. If you don’t know, you’ll be seeing him again soon in Dragon Age 2. He’s funny, likes cats, and can’t shut up about the plight of the mages. You’ll get more of his opinions in DA2, but at least he’s tame with it here. Gameplay-wiese, he’s pretty good. I’d try strengthening his healing abilities first.
2. Justice - Justice will take some time to explain. He/They are a spirit from the Fade that’s supposed to embody the aspects of Justice. We meet him during a mission in the Fade, and when we come back to the real world, he inhabits the body of a dead Warden. Justice was interesting and kinda reminded me of Wynne a little bit. One bit from his story I liked is where we meet the wife of the man Justice is inhabiting. He’s a warrior with some arcane abilities, but I left him with the simple sword shield combo. Also… he comes back in another, not so cool form in DA2.
3. Sigrun - Sigrun is a female dwarf who’s a part of the Legion of the Dead, a group of draves who make it their mission to kill darkspawn in the Deep Roads. She’s okay for the most part. Like most of the companions in the Awakening DLC, she only gets so much time to shine. She’s also a rogue type, and I just stuck with her blades. They were pretty effective.
4. Nathanial Howe - Nathaniel is the son of Arl Howe, one of Loghain’s flunkies from Origins. Let’s just say that we aren’t on good terms at first. You have the choice to make him a companion or not. Once you get to know him, he’s alright. He’s a rogue type, so you can go with dual weapons or bow/arrow combinations.
5. Velanna - Velanna is a Dalish Elf we run into during the Awakening DLC. Her clan is killed by Darkspawn, and after some “misunderstandings”, she joins the group. She’s alright in the end with not a lot to her. It also doesn’t help that she’s mostly at odds with the group. Still, her abilities are cool. They’re plant-based and pack some power.
6-8. Those ones from Witch Hunt - I seriously can’t remember their names. All I know is that one was a warrior who was looking for a book. One mage was a tag-along from the Circle. Then, there was a rogue who was probably a dwarf or an elf. See, that’s how forgetful they were! To be fair, it was a really short DLC.
………………………………….
In the end, this is still a classic. Bioware was really on their game back in the 2000's, weren't they? It's sad to look at how they've been over the last few years, but that's how it goes. You can only stay good for so long. If you haven't played DAO, you're really missing out. Yes, some of it is dated, but once you accept that, there is so much fun to be had. Well, I'm off to a plethora of things probably at the same time. Until then, Peace, God Bless, and be careful out there.
No comments:
Post a Comment