BioWare is knownfor its fantastic castof compelling characters across a huge spectrum of titles and genres. The character work is what defines these games, alongside the narratives and world-building that is rarely matched by anyone else in the gaming scene. If there’s one thing that frequently gets discussed in BioWare titles where characters are concerned, however, it’s the prevalence of romance.
InDragon Age, saving the world (or saving Kirkwall) is always portrayed as a stressful thing. It makes sense that in times of high duress,people would come togetherand find themselves falling for someone despite the high stakes. Some of BioWare’s best writing is found in these romances withinDragon Age. However, conversely, some of the best written companions in this series are those that cannot be romanced at all.
8Nathaniel Howe
A Multi-Faceted Rogue Character
Coming off the back of one of the most satisfying deaths inDragon Age Origins, especially for human characters or thoseenjoying multiple playthroughs, Nathaniel is the dark and dour son of Arl Howe, who was one of Loghain’s most ardent supporters.
Like most otherOriginscompanions the game does not sic him on you, and he can be executed purely by association with his father. Those who keep him as a companion however will find a troubled, multi-faceted character coming to terms with the monster that was his father.
Among one of the most interesting companions inDragon Age: Inquisitionis Vivienne, a stunning socialite mage from Orlais who has mastered the affairs of gossip and Circle politics. She is an incredibly interesting pick for Divine, and also has some of the best moments in the game.
Players who upset her (bad idea) can return to their castle to find Vivienne, purely because she can, has hired men to move out a bunch of the Inquisitor’s furniture. She’s delightfully petty but wickedly smart, and simply is not looking for a romantic relationship during the events ofInquisition.
Carver, the brother to a mage Hawke, is not romanceable for hopefully obvious reasons. One ofDragon Age 2’s great featuresis how it establishes Carver to be that ‘annoying younger sibling’ to Hawke, but that their relationship can grow and develop as the game goes on.
Carver can grow to be a realized warrior in his own right, or he can become another militant templar looking to purify Kirkwall of mages. It really comes down to Hawke’s decisions and how he treats his brother.
5Sten
The Player’s Introduction To The Qunari
Sten was most likely many player’s introduction into one of themost fascinating partsofDragon Agelore: the Qunari. A towering, powerful people modeled after orcs or ogres, the Qunari are bound by an incredibly strict religious order known as the Qun.
The Qun has a militant focus on order and rigidity, with every member having a specific place they must stick to, and every position being distinct, but resources being distributed equally among all, with no nobles or gentry.
4Cole
A Fascinating Look Into The Fade
The Fade isan incredibly mysterious realminDragon Age, but more mysterious still are the anomalous beings that occasionally emerge from it and intersect with the mortals of the world in ways that aren’t just violence.
The Fade is a place where emotions are made manifest, and Fade is a spirit of compassion, feeling viscerally the pain of others and wishing only to stop the cruel and the callous of this world. His companion story inInquisitionis one of the best in the series.
3Varric
A Continual Crux Of The Dragon Age World
From the second game onwards, if there’s been something happening in Thedas, Varric is there. HavingDragon Age 2be essentially a recount by him was a fantastic move, and keeping him as a companion inInquisitionmade him one of the strongest companion because of this association.
Who knows why Hawke or the Inquisitor couldn’t romance Varric? Perhaps because of his sordid past, or how vital he was to the overarching story. Maybe because beforeVeilguard, the developers were cowards and wouldn’t let players romance Dwarves.
2Oghren
A Messy, But Effective, Dwarven Warrior
Few people love their mead as much as the freakishly resilient Oghren. The writers ofDragon Agebegan with Oghren as a simple, rowdy dwarf, but they really were on to something special when they went down the path of absurdity with his character.
Even if players were inclined to romance Oghren, they’d be disappointed, as he’s never without some love interest that has apparently become taken with the damp, sweaty man whose vocabulary consists mostly of belches.
1Shale
A Deliciously Sarcastic Companion
A DLC companion that ended up being one ofOrigins' best - which is an incredibly high bar to meet - Shale is an excellent and incredibly sardonic companion who can define anOriginsrun with their dry wit.
They adds so much to so many areas of the game, especially Orzammar, and they’re a brilliantly written character. Even if the fact that Shale is made of stone was not enough to deter players from romance, the golem views people more as annoying bags of flesh, rather than living, breathing beings.
