Welcome back, my beautiful freaks, to the Assassin's Den! Today, we tackle the companions of the, as of right now, final game in the franchise.
Now, since this game is the final game in the franchise, their future fate is unknown. So, I'm going to change the "Fate" entry to a "Lore Importance" tab. Also, as with DAA and on, there is an item to redo a character's skills, so I'm basing their role on the weapons they start with.
Name: Cassandra
Race: Human
Class: Warrior, Sword and Shield
Specialization: Seeker of Truth, though her abilities are represented by the Templar spec
Recruited at: Starts in your party
Romance?: Yes, male only, though flirting with her as a female gains approval.
Special: Cassandra is one of 3 companions that you are required to recruit, due to her importance to the plot. She is also 1 of three Divine candidates.
Lore Importance: High. As a Seeker of Truth, Right hand of the Divine and member of the royal house of Nevarra, she brings a great deal of lore to the table.
Remains in the party?: Yes, the entire game, though you can choose not to take her with you post game if she's Divine.
Name: Varric
Race: Dwarf
Class: Rogue, archer
Specialization: Artificer
Recruited at: Starts in your party
Romance?: No
Special: Varric is one of 3 companions that you are required to
recruit, due to his importance to the plot. We also finally get to meet the namesake of his crossbow.
Lore Importance: High. Varric was involved in the events of the Legacy DLC of DA2, thus his knowledge of Corypheus is the greatest. He also brings knowledge of the surface dwarf merchant's guild.
Remains in the party?: Yes, the entire game
Name: Solas
Race: Elf
Class: Mage
Specialization: Rift Mage
Recruited at: Starts in your party
Romance?: Yes, female elf only
Special: Solas is one of 3 companions that you are required to
recruit, due to his importance to the plot.
Lore Importance: High. Solas brings a great deal of knowledge of spirits, elven history and magic. Also, as Fen'Harel, he is among the elven pantheon, and is important to the background lore as well.
Remains in the party?: Yes, though he leaves the party permanently after the end credits.
Name: Iron Bull
Race: Qunari
Class: Warrior, Two hander
Specialization: Reaver
Recruited at: Storm Coast
Romance?: Yes
Special: Iron Bull's personality changes slightly based on his personal quest, as does his dialogue in the ending. If you side with the Bull's Chargers, he remains the same. If you save the dreadnaught, he becomes a little more like Sten from DAO.
Lore Importance: Medium. He brings in information about Qunari society, but he is not the only source of knowledge we have in the franchise. Also, his recruitment can be refused, so nothing he brings to the table is vitally important to the plot.
Remains in the party?: Yes, the entire game.
Name: Blackwall
Race: Human
Class: Warrior, Sword and Shield
Specialization:Champion
Recruited at: The Hinterlands
Romance?: Yes, female only
Special: Blackwall is the only companion that lies about who he is; he is not a Grey Warden, nor is he really named Blackwall. That said, his fate is entirely in your hands in the end of the game; he can be left in prison, he can be held to his lie, he can be sent to the Grey Wardens to become one, or he can be pardoned.
Lore Importance: Low. He brings in information about the Orlesian military, and he his recruitment can be refused.
Remains with the party?: No, unless you bring him back.
Name: Sera
Race: City Elf
Class: Rogue, Archer
Specialization: Tempest
Recruited at: Val Royeaux
Romance?: Yes, female only.
Special: Sera can be kicked out of the party at multiple occasions, though if you don't kick her out during cutscenes, she returns at the ending party.
Lore Importance: Low. She brings no information about the Friends of Red Jenny beyond what we already knew, and brings nothing new about elves. Her recruitment can also be refused, so nothing she brings in is plot important.
Remains in the party?: Yes, unless you kick her out.
Name: Vivienne
Race: Human
Class: Mage
Specialization: Knight Enchanter
Recruited at: Val Royeaux
Romance?: No
Special: Vivienne is one of three Divine candidates.
Lore Importance: Medium. She brings information about the Circle of Magi that we didn't have before, and information on Orlesian high society. However, her recruitment can be refused, so nothing she brings in is important to the plot.
Remains in the party?: Yes, until the end of the game, though you can refuse to bring her with you after she becomes Divine.
Name: Dorian
Race: Human
Class: Mage
Specialization: Necromancer
Recruited at: Redcliffe/Haven, depending on who you side with
Romance?: Yes, male only
Special: Dorian can leave the party at extremely low approval, but only if you hit him.
Lore Importance: Medium. He brings information about Tevinter society, and he gives you several war table operations that give you lore about Corypheus. However, you can refuse his recruitment.
Remains in the party?: Yes, until the end of the game, unless you hit him.
Name: Cole
Race: Spirit of Compassion
Class: Rogue, dual daggers
Specialization: Assassin
Recruited at: Therinfall Redoubt/Haven, depending on who you side with
Romance?: No
Special: Cole's personality changes based on your actions during his personal quest. He can either become more like a spirit, or more humanlike. These affect him to the end.
Lore Importance: Medium. Cole shows us how spirits think and feel, and he brings in lore about Rhys and Evangaline. However, his recruitment can be refused.
Remains in the party?: Yes, until the end of the game, though he will leave if you drop his approval too low.
Name: Josephine
Race: Human
Class: Diplomat
Specialization: None
Recruited at: Haven, though she is not brought into combat
Romance?: Yes
Special: Josephine's personal quest ends the same way, though how quickly it ends can be determined by you.
Lore Importance: Medium. She brings information about Antiva and the political situation of Thedas.
Remains in the party?: Yes, until the end of the game
Name: Leliana
Race: Human
Class: Rogue, archer
Specialization: Bard
Recruited at: Haven, though she is not brought into combat
Romance?: No, and she remains romanced by the Hero of Ferelden if she was romanced in DAO.
Special: Leliana is one of three candidates for the Divine. Her personality also changes based on your choices when dealing with her.
Lore Importance: Very High. Between being part of your party in Origins, her work a bard under Marjolaine, her work as Left Hand of the Divine and her work as the Inquisition spymaster, Leliana is very important to the events of the game.
Remains in the party?: Yes, until the end of the game
Name: Cullen
Race: Human
Class: Warrior, Sword and shield
Specialization: Templar, though he has likely lost most of the abilities when the game starts
Recruited at: Haven, though she is not brought into combat
Romance?: Yes, female human and elf only
Special: Whether or not he begins taking lyrium again is determined by you, as is whether or not he takes lyrium for the rest of his life. If he takes lyrium after the game ends, that locks you out of the romance.
Lore Importance: Medium-high. Cullen was involved in both DAO and DA2, and has seen the abuses of both the mages and the templars. He brings in a great deal about life as a templar
Remains in the party?: Yes, until the end of the game
Name: Morrigan
Race: Human
Class: Mage
Specialization: Shapeshifter
Recruited at: The Winter Palace, though she is not brought into combat
Romance?: No, and she remains romanced by the Hero of Ferelden if you did so
Special: Morrigan can come with either a human Kieran, an Old God Baby Kieran or without Kieran at all. Kieran's reactions toward you also change based on whether he's human or carries an Old God Soul. She can also turn into a dragon if she drank from the Well of Sorrow.
Lore Importance: High. Morrigan brings in elven lore, as well information on the life of a Witch of the Wilds.
Remains in the party?: Yes, though she and her son leave after the credits roll.
Name: Krem
Race: Human
Class: Warrior
Specialization: None
Recruited at: Haven, though he is not brought into combat, and only if Iron Bull is recruited
Romance?: No
Special: Krem is transgender, which means he was born in a female meat shell with a male soul. He gives players a positive representation of what trans people are like. He brings in several war table missions, and his fate is determined by your choice in Iron Bull's quest.
Lore Importance: Low. He brings in information about Tevinter lower classes, but he won't be a part of the game if you don't recruit Iron Bull.
Remains in the party?: Yes, until the end of the game, but only if he survives Iron Bull's mission
Now, I'm leaving Flemeth off this time, since I've got a whole entry on her coming. Until then, stay beautiful freaks!
Sunday, August 16, 2015
Monday, August 10, 2015
Dragon Age Retrospective: Dragon Age Inquisition
Welcome back, my beautiful freaks, to the Assassin's Den! Today, I tackle the final game in the Dragon Age series to be released on the Xbox 360 and PS3, Dragon Age Inquisition!
But before that, I'm going to bring up the comics and books that happen in between and their importance to the plot, and the characters they reference.
The Silent Groves brings in King Alistair (though the game implies that Warden Alistair goes through the events of these comics as well), Isabela and Varric to adventure through Antiva to rescue Alistair's father, King Marric. During these events, they meet Yavana, one of Flemeth's daughters, who is trying to help bring back the dragon population.
Those Who Speak picks up where Silent Groves leaves off, where they travel into Qunari territory, and we learn that Isabela's connection to the Qunari is deeper than we thought. They also meet the Sten that fought alongside Alistair and the Hero of Ferelden during the Blight, though he is now the Arishok. We also learn why the Blood of Calenhad is so important.
From there, we are led into Until We Sleep, which ends the saga started in Silent Groves, and shows how Alistair rescues his father and kills the Magister who held Marric in stasis with Qunari forces aiding his assault.
Next comes the third novel, but first in the Mage-Templar War era. Asunder introduces Cole, Rhys, Evangeline, brings back Wynne, Shale and Leliana, and shows how the Tranquil cure is learned about and how Cole kills Lord Seeker Lambert. It also shows how Wynne gives up the Spirit of Faith that has "lived" inside her since Origins to Evangeline.
The Masked Empire brings in Empress Celene, Grand Duke Gaspard de Chalons, Briala, Ser Michel de Chevin, the demon Ishmael, and brings back Leliana and Teagan Guerrin, assumed to be the now Arl of Redcliffe, since that's his position in DAI. This one shows the events that are hinted about during the events that we see during Inquisition at the Winter Palace.
And I'm going to mention the Dragon Age Keep, a website that you can set up a world state based on decisions that you "made in the previous games" to shore up your continuity for your playthrough. And while I'm still irritated that there's no save game transfer for the 360, PS3 and PC, the fact that the game was released on both the Xbone and PS4 as well as the 360 and PS3 made it as necessity. Especially since Bioware has cut off DLC for the 360 and PS3 recently.
Now, as for Inquistion itself, it comes in with things coming to a head; Orlais is in the middle of a civil war, and the Mage-Templar war has been in full swing for years, and Divine Justinia V, formerly Revered Mother Dorathea from the Leliana's Song DLC, calls for a peace conference. However, Corypheus, the ancient Magister from the DA2 Legacy DLC, has other plans. One unlucky person, the player character, manages to spoil Corypheus' plans and ends up in the Fade with Justinia, though only the PC escapes.
This sets up the beginning, where you choose your class, gender and race. This game brings back in Elves, Dwarves and introduces Qunari as a playable race, as well as the boring humans. (Why people would want to play as a human in a fantasy setting is beyond me, but I digress.)
As for the classes, they retain their DA2 combat roles; Rogues are either 2 daggers or bow, Warriors are either two handed weapon or weapon and shield, and mages are still the most dynamic, though mages have been revamped again to suite the new specializations. No longer do they have a close attack that uses their staff; a melee ability is reserved exclusively to the Knight Enchanter spec.
Inquisition brings in crafting, which gives you much better weapons, armors and runes than what you normally find as drops. I'm not a fan of crafting, but with some war table missions giving you crafting materials in less than 10 minutes, it's not as painful as it could be.
What is painful, though, is how specializations are handled. No longer are they permanently unlocked, and in order to get them, you have to take on a mission from the war table, then talk to the trainers, then gather crafting materials for their special item, and only then can you take on a single specialization. And it must be done EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. They are NOT permanently unlocked for you like they were in the previous two games. This feels like a step backward to me, and I'm not willing to try out every single on my player character to see what I like due to this fact. No, I tested out the specs on companions, figured out which one I like and which one was easy to get, and then take that one on. So that means that I only go with 1 rogue spec (Tempest), 2 Warrior specs (Templar and Reaver), and all three mage ones, since I have yet to play a mage where I didn't have all the crafting mats I need when I get to Skyhold.
Speaking of Skyhold, that has stuff that needs crafting as well, to "beautify" the keep. In addition to the crafting resources you get from war table gathering missions, you've got to pick up logging stands and quarries, and if you don't know where to find them, you could wander the maps for days.
So yeah, not a fan of crafting.
One other thing that irritates me is the war table itself. I get that they are trying to illustrate the weight of decision. But when you've played the game several times and know the results you want, it becomes tedious. It also makes me play with the system clock to bypass the real world time the game wants me to wait. I don't know about anyone else, but I am not going to send a favored adviser onto a mission that takes 24 hours without doing this.
What adds to this annoyance is that several of these type of missions pop up after completing an important story mission. Finish recruiting the Templars or Mages? Get a lot of these. Finish the mission with the Wardens? Get a lot of these. Winter Palace? Ditto. I've spent almost 2 hours playing with the system clock just to get those war table missions out of the way and back to what's actually fun.
And let's not forget that MANY war table missions are part of chains that sometimes give you nothing to little from most of them until you get to the end. Yes, there's tons of flavor text and many former companions show up via this flavor text. Aveline, Zevran, Sebastian, Tallis...these people show up in flavor text, which almost feels like a slap in the face if you liked them the most.
So yeah, there's a lot that I hate about this game. And when I'm putting up with this stuff, I'm honestly wondering if the fun stuff is worth the boredom. Especially when you consider the load times.
I'm not even joking. On my version of the game, I've waited through several minutes of load times when areas change, with only a few seconds to read the tips and flavor text before the screen goes to black. This is one of the reasons I spend as much time as I can questing in an area without leaving it; I'm trying to have as much fun as I can while I can before the boredom takes over.
The thing is, when it's fun, it's fun. The story is great, the combat system is awesome, the characters are realistic and dynamic, and the choices we make as a player character actually matter now. Hell, even your specializations are brought up by your allies and NPCs.
But honestly, this is my least favorite game in the series. All the problems and all the boredom that I have to slog through makes this game the least enjoyable to play. That said, it's still better than a lot of RPGs on the market.
Next entry will be on the important characters, then a full entry on Flemeth and her importance to the history of the franchise. This will be followed up by a wrap up for the series. For now, stay beautiful freaks!
But before that, I'm going to bring up the comics and books that happen in between and their importance to the plot, and the characters they reference.
The Silent Groves brings in King Alistair (though the game implies that Warden Alistair goes through the events of these comics as well), Isabela and Varric to adventure through Antiva to rescue Alistair's father, King Marric. During these events, they meet Yavana, one of Flemeth's daughters, who is trying to help bring back the dragon population.
Those Who Speak picks up where Silent Groves leaves off, where they travel into Qunari territory, and we learn that Isabela's connection to the Qunari is deeper than we thought. They also meet the Sten that fought alongside Alistair and the Hero of Ferelden during the Blight, though he is now the Arishok. We also learn why the Blood of Calenhad is so important.
From there, we are led into Until We Sleep, which ends the saga started in Silent Groves, and shows how Alistair rescues his father and kills the Magister who held Marric in stasis with Qunari forces aiding his assault.
Next comes the third novel, but first in the Mage-Templar War era. Asunder introduces Cole, Rhys, Evangeline, brings back Wynne, Shale and Leliana, and shows how the Tranquil cure is learned about and how Cole kills Lord Seeker Lambert. It also shows how Wynne gives up the Spirit of Faith that has "lived" inside her since Origins to Evangeline.
The Masked Empire brings in Empress Celene, Grand Duke Gaspard de Chalons, Briala, Ser Michel de Chevin, the demon Ishmael, and brings back Leliana and Teagan Guerrin, assumed to be the now Arl of Redcliffe, since that's his position in DAI. This one shows the events that are hinted about during the events that we see during Inquisition at the Winter Palace.
And I'm going to mention the Dragon Age Keep, a website that you can set up a world state based on decisions that you "made in the previous games" to shore up your continuity for your playthrough. And while I'm still irritated that there's no save game transfer for the 360, PS3 and PC, the fact that the game was released on both the Xbone and PS4 as well as the 360 and PS3 made it as necessity. Especially since Bioware has cut off DLC for the 360 and PS3 recently.
Now, as for Inquistion itself, it comes in with things coming to a head; Orlais is in the middle of a civil war, and the Mage-Templar war has been in full swing for years, and Divine Justinia V, formerly Revered Mother Dorathea from the Leliana's Song DLC, calls for a peace conference. However, Corypheus, the ancient Magister from the DA2 Legacy DLC, has other plans. One unlucky person, the player character, manages to spoil Corypheus' plans and ends up in the Fade with Justinia, though only the PC escapes.
This sets up the beginning, where you choose your class, gender and race. This game brings back in Elves, Dwarves and introduces Qunari as a playable race, as well as the boring humans. (Why people would want to play as a human in a fantasy setting is beyond me, but I digress.)
As for the classes, they retain their DA2 combat roles; Rogues are either 2 daggers or bow, Warriors are either two handed weapon or weapon and shield, and mages are still the most dynamic, though mages have been revamped again to suite the new specializations. No longer do they have a close attack that uses their staff; a melee ability is reserved exclusively to the Knight Enchanter spec.
Inquisition brings in crafting, which gives you much better weapons, armors and runes than what you normally find as drops. I'm not a fan of crafting, but with some war table missions giving you crafting materials in less than 10 minutes, it's not as painful as it could be.
What is painful, though, is how specializations are handled. No longer are they permanently unlocked, and in order to get them, you have to take on a mission from the war table, then talk to the trainers, then gather crafting materials for their special item, and only then can you take on a single specialization. And it must be done EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. They are NOT permanently unlocked for you like they were in the previous two games. This feels like a step backward to me, and I'm not willing to try out every single on my player character to see what I like due to this fact. No, I tested out the specs on companions, figured out which one I like and which one was easy to get, and then take that one on. So that means that I only go with 1 rogue spec (Tempest), 2 Warrior specs (Templar and Reaver), and all three mage ones, since I have yet to play a mage where I didn't have all the crafting mats I need when I get to Skyhold.
Speaking of Skyhold, that has stuff that needs crafting as well, to "beautify" the keep. In addition to the crafting resources you get from war table gathering missions, you've got to pick up logging stands and quarries, and if you don't know where to find them, you could wander the maps for days.
So yeah, not a fan of crafting.
One other thing that irritates me is the war table itself. I get that they are trying to illustrate the weight of decision. But when you've played the game several times and know the results you want, it becomes tedious. It also makes me play with the system clock to bypass the real world time the game wants me to wait. I don't know about anyone else, but I am not going to send a favored adviser onto a mission that takes 24 hours without doing this.
What adds to this annoyance is that several of these type of missions pop up after completing an important story mission. Finish recruiting the Templars or Mages? Get a lot of these. Finish the mission with the Wardens? Get a lot of these. Winter Palace? Ditto. I've spent almost 2 hours playing with the system clock just to get those war table missions out of the way and back to what's actually fun.
And let's not forget that MANY war table missions are part of chains that sometimes give you nothing to little from most of them until you get to the end. Yes, there's tons of flavor text and many former companions show up via this flavor text. Aveline, Zevran, Sebastian, Tallis...these people show up in flavor text, which almost feels like a slap in the face if you liked them the most.
So yeah, there's a lot that I hate about this game. And when I'm putting up with this stuff, I'm honestly wondering if the fun stuff is worth the boredom. Especially when you consider the load times.
I'm not even joking. On my version of the game, I've waited through several minutes of load times when areas change, with only a few seconds to read the tips and flavor text before the screen goes to black. This is one of the reasons I spend as much time as I can questing in an area without leaving it; I'm trying to have as much fun as I can while I can before the boredom takes over.
The thing is, when it's fun, it's fun. The story is great, the combat system is awesome, the characters are realistic and dynamic, and the choices we make as a player character actually matter now. Hell, even your specializations are brought up by your allies and NPCs.
But honestly, this is my least favorite game in the series. All the problems and all the boredom that I have to slog through makes this game the least enjoyable to play. That said, it's still better than a lot of RPGs on the market.
Next entry will be on the important characters, then a full entry on Flemeth and her importance to the history of the franchise. This will be followed up by a wrap up for the series. For now, stay beautiful freaks!
Sunday, August 2, 2015
Dragon Age Retrospective: Dragon Age 2 Companions
Welcome back, my beautiful freaks, to the Assassin's Den! It's time to tackle the companions and important cast members of DA2!
Name: Bethany
Race: Human
Class: Mage
Specialization: None at start, Force Mage in Act 2 and 3 DLC and if she rejoins your party
Recruited at: Starts in your party
Romance?: No, she's your sister
Special: Bethany starts with a preexisting slant toward Friendship. Near 75%, in fact, so unless you take the effort to piss her off, she'll begin the slow slide into friendship long before you finish Act 1.
Fate: Bethany's fate is tied to your class and your decision at the end of Act 1. If you're a mage, Bethany dies at the end of the Prologue. If you're a warrior or rogue, she survives to enter Kirkwall. If she lives, her fate in Act 2 and 3 are determined are by your choices with the Deep Roads. If you do not take her, she is finally captured by the Templars and becomes a Circle Mage. There, she retains her sunny disposition and takes on a position of influence in the Circle, teaching young apprentices. However, if you take her into the Deep Roads, you MUST take Anders along if you want her to survive. From there, she can become a Grey Warden, and shows up at the end of Act 2, and again in Act 3 if Nathaniel Howe shows up. From there, she can rejoin your party at the end of Act 3 after you choose your side. As a Warden, Bethany's perspective darkens drastically. If she lives, she can also be brought along in both DLC packs.
Name: Carver
Race: Human
Class: 2 handed Warrior
Specialization: None at start, Templar Mage in Act 2 and 3 DLC and if he rejoins your party
Recruited at: Starts in your party
Romance?: No, he's your brother
Special: Carver starts with a preexisting slant toward Rivalry. Around 65%, in fact, so unless you take the effort to pander to his viewpoint, he'll begin the slow slide into Rivalry long before you finish Act 1.
Fate: Most of Bethany's entry applies with Carver. If you're not a mage, Carver dies at Lothering. If you take him into the Deep Roads without Anders, he dies. If you take Anders, he becomes a Grey Warden. If you don't take him, he becomes a Templar. However, his personality is the opposite of Bethany when it comes to which organization he joins; he feels better about being a Warden than a Templar.
Name: Aveline Vallen
Race: Human
Class: Sword and Shield Warrior
Specialization: Guardian, making her a tank
Recruited at: Starts in your party
Romance?: No, but you can flirt with her
Special: Aveline will not leave your party unless certain specific conditions are met; she has to be a Rival at the end of Act 3 and she can't be married to Donnic. Furthermore, you have to side with the mages, and Fenris has to remain with your party.
Fate: Aveline is one of the most important figures in Kirkwall, as a guard/guard captain. In Act 2, she could potentially marry Donnic Heydr. In Act 3, whether or not she married Donnic determines how her personal quest goes. Depending on certain choices at the end game, she may return in a War Table mission text in DAI.
Name: Varric
Race: Dwarf
Class: Archer focused Rogue
Specialization: Marksman, which is a bard-like ability that makes him better with his crossbow.
Recruited at: The start of Act 1
Romance?: No
Special: Varric cannot leave the party at all, due to him relating to the story to Cassandra Pentaghast. Varric is the only one with a weapon that upgrades with his level, his crossbow Bianca.
Fate: Varric returns in DAI as a companion. His specialization changes between games, though. He also appears in the comics with Alistair and Isabela.
Name: Anders
Race: Human
Class: Mage
Specialization: Vengeance, which is a combination of Spirit Healer and a damage buff
Recruited at: Act 1, just after being revealed as an Abomination at the Chantry
Romance?: Yes
Special: Anders can leave at several points in the story; in Act 2, at the end of his personal quest, and in Act 3, in the same type of situation. At the end of Act 3, Anders can be killed after he blows up the Chantry.
Fate: Anders does not show up in DAI, though he is mentioned by Hawke if he survived, as well as whether or not Hawke approved of Anders' actions.
Name: Merrill
Race: Elf
Class: Mage
Specialization: Dalish Pariah, a combination of Blood Mage and Keeper from DAA
Recruited at: Act 1, on Sundermount
Romance?: Yes
Special: Like Aveline, Merrill has certain conditions to actually leave the party; first, you must not talk to her after her act 3 quest. Second, she must not be at 100% Friendship/Rivalry. Third, you must be a Rival of Anders. Finally, you MUST side with the Templars. Only then will she leave the party.
Fate: Merrill is mentioned by both Varric and Hawke in DAI, and the romance is remarked on by both.
Name: Fenris
Race: Elf
Class: Two handed Warrior
Specialization: Tervinter Fugitive, a Templar/Spirit Warrior like specialization
Recruited at: Act 1
Romance?: Yes
Special: Fenris can leave the party at many points in the game; first time is in Act 2, if you refuse his personal quest twice. Second is in Act 3, when you can give him to his former owner. Finally, if you side with the Mages and he's not 100% on the Frienship or Rivalry meter. He's also the only companion who never learned how to read.
Fate: He does not return in DAI, and is only mentioned if Hawke romanced him.
Name: Isabela
Race: Human
Class: Dual Wielding Rogue
Specialization: Swashbuckler, which is essentially Duelist
Recruited at: The Hanged Man Bar in Act 1
Romance?: Yes
Special: Isabela leaves the party at the end of Act 2. But she only returns if her Friendship or Rivalry is at at least 50%.
Fate: Isabela returns in the comics take place between DA2 and DAI. Interestingly, her role in those books shows us the first female qunari. She also returns in DAI as a DLC multiplayer character.
Name: Sebastian
Race: Human
Class: Archer Rogue
Specialization: Royal Archer, which gives him abilities that are like Shadow in DAA
Recruited at: Act 2 chantry, but you need to complete his first personal quest before recruiting him
Romance?: Yes, female only, and only if you never touched, or even shown any interest, in the other romance options.
Special: Sebastial will leave the party if Anders is spared at the end of Act 3. This is unavoidable, regardless of your Friendship or Rivalry settings.
Fate: Sebastian returns as War Table Text in DAI. If Anders survived, he becomes extremely antagonistic toward Kirkwall.
Name: Tallis
Race: Elf
Class: Dual wielding Rogue
Specialization: Infiltrator, most like Assassin
Recruited at: Start of Mark of Assassin DLC
Romance?: Yes, but you can only kiss her if your romance option isn't in the party
Special: Tallis is contained entirely in her DLC, and you can choose to leave her behind once you find out she's a qunari spy.
Fate: Tallis returns in war table text if you choose to have Iron Bull save the Dreadnaught.
And now for the important characters;
Name: Cullen
Race: Human
Class: Warrior
Specialization: Templar
Recruited at: Does not join party
Special: If your Warden is a mage, he knows them. If the Warden mage is female, he had a crush on her.
Fate:Cullen returns in DAI after seeing what evils the Templars can commit in this game.
Name: Samson
Race: Human
Class: Warrior
Specialization: Templar
Recruited at: Does not join party
Special: He aids you in 2 quests; 1 in Act 1, another in Act 3.
Fate: If you choose to recruit the mages in DAI, Samson returns as your rival.
Name: Flemeth
Race: Human based, hard to properly codify until all information is revealed
Class: Mage
Specialization: Shapeshifter
Recruited at: Does not join party
Special: Too much to detail. I will handle that in an entry about her alone.
Fate: Integral to the plot of the next game.
Now, here is where I would tackle specializations, but this time, they're easy; you get access to 3 in total for each class, they require no unlocking, you gain them at level 7 and 14. As for what they are;
Warrior: Templar, Reaver and Berserker
Rogue: Assassin, Duelist and Shadow
Mage: Blood Mage, Spirit Healer and Force Mage
Also, other than keeping most of your party in your party at end game, the companion's disposition with dealing with you gives their specializations buffs based on whether they are friends or rivals. For example, Anders gains buffs to his damage output if he's a friend, or a boost to health regeneration if he's a rival. And they're all like this, some better than others for your purposes. Merrill has a buff to her blood magic if she's your friend, which is beneficial if you use her as a blood mage. Aveline's a better tank if you're friends with her.
Next up in the retrospective is DAI, though I will mention the importance of the comics and novels and their placement in the timeline next. Until then, stay beautiful freaks!
Name: Bethany
Race: Human
Class: Mage
Specialization: None at start, Force Mage in Act 2 and 3 DLC and if she rejoins your party
Recruited at: Starts in your party
Romance?: No, she's your sister
Special: Bethany starts with a preexisting slant toward Friendship. Near 75%, in fact, so unless you take the effort to piss her off, she'll begin the slow slide into friendship long before you finish Act 1.
Fate: Bethany's fate is tied to your class and your decision at the end of Act 1. If you're a mage, Bethany dies at the end of the Prologue. If you're a warrior or rogue, she survives to enter Kirkwall. If she lives, her fate in Act 2 and 3 are determined are by your choices with the Deep Roads. If you do not take her, she is finally captured by the Templars and becomes a Circle Mage. There, she retains her sunny disposition and takes on a position of influence in the Circle, teaching young apprentices. However, if you take her into the Deep Roads, you MUST take Anders along if you want her to survive. From there, she can become a Grey Warden, and shows up at the end of Act 2, and again in Act 3 if Nathaniel Howe shows up. From there, she can rejoin your party at the end of Act 3 after you choose your side. As a Warden, Bethany's perspective darkens drastically. If she lives, she can also be brought along in both DLC packs.
Name: Carver
Race: Human
Class: 2 handed Warrior
Specialization: None at start, Templar Mage in Act 2 and 3 DLC and if he rejoins your party
Recruited at: Starts in your party
Romance?: No, he's your brother
Special: Carver starts with a preexisting slant toward Rivalry. Around 65%, in fact, so unless you take the effort to pander to his viewpoint, he'll begin the slow slide into Rivalry long before you finish Act 1.
Fate: Most of Bethany's entry applies with Carver. If you're not a mage, Carver dies at Lothering. If you take him into the Deep Roads without Anders, he dies. If you take Anders, he becomes a Grey Warden. If you don't take him, he becomes a Templar. However, his personality is the opposite of Bethany when it comes to which organization he joins; he feels better about being a Warden than a Templar.
Name: Aveline Vallen
Race: Human
Class: Sword and Shield Warrior
Specialization: Guardian, making her a tank
Recruited at: Starts in your party
Romance?: No, but you can flirt with her
Special: Aveline will not leave your party unless certain specific conditions are met; she has to be a Rival at the end of Act 3 and she can't be married to Donnic. Furthermore, you have to side with the mages, and Fenris has to remain with your party.
Fate: Aveline is one of the most important figures in Kirkwall, as a guard/guard captain. In Act 2, she could potentially marry Donnic Heydr. In Act 3, whether or not she married Donnic determines how her personal quest goes. Depending on certain choices at the end game, she may return in a War Table mission text in DAI.
Name: Varric
Race: Dwarf
Class: Archer focused Rogue
Specialization: Marksman, which is a bard-like ability that makes him better with his crossbow.
Recruited at: The start of Act 1
Romance?: No
Special: Varric cannot leave the party at all, due to him relating to the story to Cassandra Pentaghast. Varric is the only one with a weapon that upgrades with his level, his crossbow Bianca.
Fate: Varric returns in DAI as a companion. His specialization changes between games, though. He also appears in the comics with Alistair and Isabela.
Name: Anders
Race: Human
Class: Mage
Specialization: Vengeance, which is a combination of Spirit Healer and a damage buff
Recruited at: Act 1, just after being revealed as an Abomination at the Chantry
Romance?: Yes
Special: Anders can leave at several points in the story; in Act 2, at the end of his personal quest, and in Act 3, in the same type of situation. At the end of Act 3, Anders can be killed after he blows up the Chantry.
Fate: Anders does not show up in DAI, though he is mentioned by Hawke if he survived, as well as whether or not Hawke approved of Anders' actions.
Name: Merrill
Race: Elf
Class: Mage
Specialization: Dalish Pariah, a combination of Blood Mage and Keeper from DAA
Recruited at: Act 1, on Sundermount
Romance?: Yes
Special: Like Aveline, Merrill has certain conditions to actually leave the party; first, you must not talk to her after her act 3 quest. Second, she must not be at 100% Friendship/Rivalry. Third, you must be a Rival of Anders. Finally, you MUST side with the Templars. Only then will she leave the party.
Fate: Merrill is mentioned by both Varric and Hawke in DAI, and the romance is remarked on by both.
Name: Fenris
Race: Elf
Class: Two handed Warrior
Specialization: Tervinter Fugitive, a Templar/Spirit Warrior like specialization
Recruited at: Act 1
Romance?: Yes
Special: Fenris can leave the party at many points in the game; first time is in Act 2, if you refuse his personal quest twice. Second is in Act 3, when you can give him to his former owner. Finally, if you side with the Mages and he's not 100% on the Frienship or Rivalry meter. He's also the only companion who never learned how to read.
Fate: He does not return in DAI, and is only mentioned if Hawke romanced him.
Name: Isabela
Race: Human
Class: Dual Wielding Rogue
Specialization: Swashbuckler, which is essentially Duelist
Recruited at: The Hanged Man Bar in Act 1
Romance?: Yes
Special: Isabela leaves the party at the end of Act 2. But she only returns if her Friendship or Rivalry is at at least 50%.
Fate: Isabela returns in the comics take place between DA2 and DAI. Interestingly, her role in those books shows us the first female qunari. She also returns in DAI as a DLC multiplayer character.
Name: Sebastian
Race: Human
Class: Archer Rogue
Specialization: Royal Archer, which gives him abilities that are like Shadow in DAA
Recruited at: Act 2 chantry, but you need to complete his first personal quest before recruiting him
Romance?: Yes, female only, and only if you never touched, or even shown any interest, in the other romance options.
Special: Sebastial will leave the party if Anders is spared at the end of Act 3. This is unavoidable, regardless of your Friendship or Rivalry settings.
Fate: Sebastian returns as War Table Text in DAI. If Anders survived, he becomes extremely antagonistic toward Kirkwall.
Name: Tallis
Race: Elf
Class: Dual wielding Rogue
Specialization: Infiltrator, most like Assassin
Recruited at: Start of Mark of Assassin DLC
Romance?: Yes, but you can only kiss her if your romance option isn't in the party
Special: Tallis is contained entirely in her DLC, and you can choose to leave her behind once you find out she's a qunari spy.
Fate: Tallis returns in war table text if you choose to have Iron Bull save the Dreadnaught.
And now for the important characters;
Name: Cullen
Race: Human
Class: Warrior
Specialization: Templar
Recruited at: Does not join party
Special: If your Warden is a mage, he knows them. If the Warden mage is female, he had a crush on her.
Fate:Cullen returns in DAI after seeing what evils the Templars can commit in this game.
Name: Samson
Race: Human
Class: Warrior
Specialization: Templar
Recruited at: Does not join party
Special: He aids you in 2 quests; 1 in Act 1, another in Act 3.
Fate: If you choose to recruit the mages in DAI, Samson returns as your rival.
Name: Flemeth
Race: Human based, hard to properly codify until all information is revealed
Class: Mage
Specialization: Shapeshifter
Recruited at: Does not join party
Special: Too much to detail. I will handle that in an entry about her alone.
Fate: Integral to the plot of the next game.
Now, here is where I would tackle specializations, but this time, they're easy; you get access to 3 in total for each class, they require no unlocking, you gain them at level 7 and 14. As for what they are;
Warrior: Templar, Reaver and Berserker
Rogue: Assassin, Duelist and Shadow
Mage: Blood Mage, Spirit Healer and Force Mage
Also, other than keeping most of your party in your party at end game, the companion's disposition with dealing with you gives their specializations buffs based on whether they are friends or rivals. For example, Anders gains buffs to his damage output if he's a friend, or a boost to health regeneration if he's a rival. And they're all like this, some better than others for your purposes. Merrill has a buff to her blood magic if she's your friend, which is beneficial if you use her as a blood mage. Aveline's a better tank if you're friends with her.
Next up in the retrospective is DAI, though I will mention the importance of the comics and novels and their placement in the timeline next. Until then, stay beautiful freaks!
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