Addai67 wrote...
(Husband posting)
I like Sten, but he's got a number big drawbacks, that really make it hard to use him as a main character.
1) His - approvals are very inconvenient (especially for a new player that may be role playing as a traditional FRPG hero/ heroine.
2) His two handed Sword is way slow and can miss a lot, especially if your a new player and for some reason haven't got around to taking precse striking.
3) He's not a mandatory or specially featured character. (There isn't a specific dungeon or plot that makes or suggests you take him unlike their is with character's like Allistair at the Landsmeet, Oghren in the Deep roards etc..
4) His basic role in the party is redundant, essentially it can be done other characters that possess other needed skills. (lock picking, shield tanking etc.)
5) His personal quest is less obvious that other characters.
when you add all this stuff up I find I tend to leave him at camp even though I like him and the different twists he brings to the game. But in playing the game 7 months, I have yet to have him as a main questing character because of all the hoops to jump through. In future, I do intend to have him as the main warrior of the group, because I like to try to explore new plot lines etc. when it comes to replaying the game to keep things fresh, but unlike the other character's I find I need to go out of my way at thinking things through in order to use him and do affectively.
Obviously Sten is my favorite character if I am a sword n shield warrior. To address your points.
1) Everyone's take on convenience is different. I find Oghren to be inconvenient, honestly. I don't relate well to drunks. Seriously - BW did a great job of making him the obnoxious drunk because it took a lot of playthroughs for meto know ow to chat him up. Sten, on the other hand, made perfect sense to me.
But put those differences aside for a sec - if the conversation choices for approval were TOO obvious a) it would be boring and
I would not really "get to know" and appreciate the character.
2) Agility 20, Willpower 20, and strength maxed and I never use precise striking. No problem. My PC is so overpowered I don't mind giving Sten The Harvest Ring and the Warrior's ring to add to this cause.
3) That's what makes him great! Same with Zevran honestly. I make it a point to take those characters when I'm doing missions that don't require a certain plot related character. I take Oghren through the Deep Roads, then he gets to sit it out. Shale fights in the Caradin fight, then she is benched. I GUESS Alistair is your main guy for Redcliffe - but I've used Sten there without too much story missing - especially since Asala is there. I guess bottom line is there really aren't too many characters that are "mandatory" for very long. Al for 15 minutes in the Landsmeet. Morrigan for 10 minutes in the Dark Ritual. Nobody is really mandatory IMO.
4) If his role is redundant and others can fill his role, then others' roles are redundant because Sten can fill theirs. After level 12 none of my parties need a sword n shield warrior - Sten can fill that role. I know a guy who won the gane with 3 mages and a rogue. If it weren't for the lack of a "knock" spell . . . rogues would be unecessary. So I agree that Sten's role is redundant because . . . EVERYONE is interchangeable.
5) Again, to my mind "less obvious" is better than "too obviously easy". I got more satisfaction in finding Asala then hooking Oghren up with Felsi.
I'm glad you are open to giving Sten a try as a more frequently played character. He's great and his conversation is great. Obviously, I loved playing him.
Retour en haut
Sten. Very Deep, what a GREAT NPC.
. He is my Dog's B**CH 
:D
