Greetings, I hope you all are having a good day.
I am curious on how you pick a race or the sex of your main character for a particular playthrough ?
Is this something that is totally random to you ?
Do you pick a race that allows you to min-max ?
Or is there some other way ?
I am interested to know what criteria people here use in picking a race for a playthrough.
Cheers.
Usually something I haven't done before.
I have no criteria really. other then enjoyment while playing, just a preferred DA character type to play I guess. Eventually after a few playthroughs of Dragon age Origins I played a human female mage, enjoyed it enough to play a fem-hawke mage, enjoyed that too so female human mage seems to be my favourite set of main characters in a sense. Which is odd as every other RPG I play, I can't seem to get into anything other then archers when available.
This is also funny when it comes to Dragon Age Inquisition as I really like the Dalish Elf dialogue choices over human ones, mainly at the start of the game, not good at creating them in cc though, and always playing humans.
If it comes to trying out different parts of the game (race/gender/LI/simply choices etc) I will choose human if possible, then elf, I do want to finish the game at least once with a Qunari and a Dwarf PC but I haven't managed it yet.
I play entirely for the story. And I generally pick the gender/race by whatever romance-arc I'm most interested in seeing. That being said, once I'm set on a canon story, I have the hardest as heck time deviating from that particular gender/race. Made for a huge issue in Origin, because I played the game dozens of times and only twice completed a non-human characters, and one of those didn't romance anyone because I decided she would take the ultimate sacrifice.
For Inquisition, I planned an Elf female when the game was in planning stages. I'm still stuck on the Elf race, mind you. But the gender caught me by surprise, when I totally fell for Dorian. Now I play a male Elf and it's almost impossible for me to trudge my way through any playthrough other than a guy Elf who romances Dorian. Go figure!
I don't really have criteria aside from "female character." Race and class just depends on what ends up sticking--both with gameplay and story integration. My very first Warden I made was a mage, but I got bored and deleted, and was able to get into the story more with a female human noble warrior. And tanking in Origins was actually fun.
Tried mage again for Hawke and that felt the most natural story-wise. Plus Carver is the best
With Inquisition I first made a human warrior and almost instantly hated it. I made my elf later because that hadn't been an option for a while, fell in love, and that was that. I've tried making other race/class/gender combinations since then and nothing works.
In the future though, I may actually consider doing a "canon" rogue, just for variety. Somehow they're always my first alternate.
I am guilty of having a tendency to pick male first, for eyecandy reasons. I know this sounds incredibly shallow. Then I do a second playthrough as a female.
In Inquisition my first playthrough was with a human male Trevelyan mage.
Second playthrough I'm going as a female elf. It's the first time I play an elf. Before, I avoided elves because I didn't like how frail they looked and because I wasn't interested enough in their backstory, and avoided dwarves because they can't use magic. I always choose mage.
Story is what matters, I couldn't care less about stats in a roleplaying game. I always play female characters and try to make them rather androgynous ... though the horrible barbiefied character models in most games sadly tend to make that impossible from the neck down. Both gameplay-wise and for the "valorous frontline leader" feel, I prefer tanky warriors, ideally with a bit of supernatural backup if possible in the setting, especially if said backup comes with a strong philosophical and/or mystical background to RP off, such as Jedi in Star Wars or a feral druid back in my WoW days. Dragon Age doesn't allow for that, so I picked warrior for both Origins and Inquisition. (I didn't play DA2 because everything about it left me cold.)
Race is up for grabs depending on what interests me in a given setting or what sort of character I have in mind, but generally I don't like small or frail characters. Origins showed that despite the origins-hype, the game pretty much presumes you're human for 99.99% of the game, so I stuck with that. If I play a non-human, I want to feel like a non-human. It doesn't help that I really loathe the babyteen-look of the elves -- the human female character model is bad enough, but I honestly can't bear to look at a female elf even in armor. Qunari don't interest me at all, nor do the Mafia thug surface dwarves (traditional dwarven culture does, horrible though it is) -- and due to the size difference compared to humans, there's too much potential for cringeworthiness or unintentional hilarity in cutscenes with these two. I can't imagine how a dwarf would realistically twirl Florianne or support her in that dramatic backwards-dip at the end of the dance, for example.
In Origins, my primary reason for picking the human noble origin was that the simple fact that I wanted to get the mabari ASAP. 
It ended up working out well due to the presumed-human feel of the game and because that origin is the only one of the ones I tried that I actually, mostly, liked. I had no particular premise for my Warden otherwise, except for a strong desire for a last stand like in the awesome Calling trailer. Needless to say, the ultimate sacrifice was even better than what I had been hoping for.
In Inquisition, I had a premise, influenced by the background of the mage/templar war but also by personal curiosity: I wanted to roleplay a devout, open-minded Andrastian. I'm an atheist, but my characters rarely are because engaging with a setting's beliefs is usually much more interesting to me. The Trevelyan family turned out to be the perfect fit, even before the game dropped the delightful RP challenge of the whole "Herald of Andraste" concept on my head.
So I have two human nobles, more by circumstance than by choice, but I ended up liking them a lot. Both are sword and board warriors (Templar/Champion and Champion), despite the fact that the gameplay for that is horrible in Inquisition. IMO Inquisition's combat in general is something to be endured rather than enjoyed in any way, unfortunately.
eeny meeny miny mo
When it comes to race I always go for Dwarf first. And almost always male, i have trouble playing a female. I rarely enjoy playing female.
Female elf will always be my playthrough of choice in DA series. However, I will play any mix of race and sex after that--with the exception of female human--I'm already a female human, so there is ZERO roleplay value for me.
I like to play a character like myself, which is why I feel reluctant to purchase games that lack a female option. It can be fun to RP someone completely different, but I get more immersed in a game when I can identify with my character. I tend to favor elves because I look elfy and am pretty quiet and introverted, love to hang out in the woods, etc. (human just feels wrong most of the time), and mage because having a lot of options is more fun for me than swinging a heavy object. My second choice is rogue for the sneakiness, quick movement and deadly-sharp daggers. I also enjoy being a sniper. I would rather resolve situations with charm and persuasion than blunt force.
Greetings, I hope you all are having a good day.
I am curious on how you pick a race or the sex of your main character for a particular playthrough ?
Is this something that is totally random to you ?
Do you pick a race that allows you to min-max ?
Or is there some other way ?
I am interested to know what criteria people here use in picking a race for a playthrough.
Cheers.
I'm one of those people who have to at least have a playthrough of one of each race (dwarf, qunari, human, elf) and at least one male/female playthrough, mainly for story/game experience and character writing. For BioWare games it usually depends on the available romance options (helps me narrow down my choice since I usually go with a theme. I have far more female than male in Inquisition because of better options. Already did Josephine once and I can only romance Dorian/Iron Bull so many times. At least Cullen and Sera allowed for a different experience). For other games it depends, mainly because I'm an 'altoholic' (don't ask how many Skyrim characters I have...) or just because I like a fresh face or idea.
In Inquisition I have
Three male Trevelyans (one of each class)- All romance Dorian because he's the only appealing option available to male characters. Josephine was nice but one run was enough and Iron Bull really doesn't suit Trevelyan to be honest (at least in MY own opinion and concept, feel free to disagree).
One male Lavellan (mage)- Romanced Iron Bull since he was the only non-human available to male elves. For RP reasons I don't see the appeal of Josephine (human female) and Solas/Sera were unavailable. Dorian could've worked but it was my first run and I was keen on Iron Bull from the start.
Two female Cadashes (one warrior and one rogue)- Warrior romanced Josephine and Rogue romanced Sera. The rogue I already had as a concept (Dwarf + Elf romance ftw!) while the Warrior was just a 'happen to be' playthrough.
One female Lavellan (warrior)- Romanced Cullen. Want to do another for a Solas run but that will be eventual. Already did the Sera and Josie-mance with another character (and no further interest).
One female Adaar (mage)- Romanced Iron Bull (makes sense for a qunari obviously).
*have no interest in romancing Cassandra or Blackwall whatsoever. Even though my characters are NEVER self inserts I just don't find enough appeal.
Mainly depends on appearance and the options available to them.
For DnD/Forgotten Realms based games- I like Planetouched/Half-Elves a lot but usually go human because of bonus feats and appearance. Really dislike gnomes/halflings since I like my protagonists somewhat tall. Plus most of the campaign settings fit humans. Gender's always been neutral in these campaigns but I lean towards male out of preference.
Examples:
Dragon Age- Mainly human because they get the most of the options and story. Dwarves are surprisingly second since I love Origins' dwarves. Elves in Origins are short humans and Inquisition doesn't have a proper elf romance for a male character. Qunari are on the lower end of the spectrum because quite frankly their armor options are shoddy. Managed only one qunari run (which WAS fun and made for a unique experience but wouldn't play one again, at least in Inquisition). Gender ratio is pretty equal, Origins I'm pretty even, DA2 I lean heavily towards male, Inquisition I lean towards female if only because better romance options.
Pillars of Eternity- Tie between Elves, Godlike and Human since those are my most gravitated to races. Aumaua are neat but really haven't found a character concept I like for them. Currently running a dwarf that I'll EVENTUALLY finish (put PoE on the backburner for a long time, waiting for the 2.0 update and expansion) but really don't select them or orlan (who are just furry wild halflings). Gender ratio is equal.
Arcanum- Humans, elves, half-orcs and half-elves. I won't play anything too small, stupid or ugly.
Amalur- Dokkalfar because they're the best looking but I have made one of each at least.
MMOs- Usually some form of High or Dark Elf. Whatever looks mystical, flawless, etherial and appealing.
Is it random? Usually not.
Min/max is really not my thing unless I'm playing an old school game like Wizardry 8 or any of the isometric rpgs. And even then in isometrics I pick human due to dual classing/best options while Wizardry 8 is whoever I want. I do like my character to fit the lore/background and pick a class that suits him/her. Meaning I'm not one for elven paladins or halfling wizards.
I usually pick human first. Human gives an extra skill point, and that's pretty cool because I want to see what the different techniques and skills do. The first playthrough is often a lot of experimentation, so I can see what I like to feel like. After that was done, I played through an elf, a dwarf, and then the human again, now that I could understand the game better.
I wouldn't have picked elf or dwarf if there was going to be no difference between the races, but I heard there were some different dialogues and War Table missions. I enjoyed the little stories, although the fact that they weren't missions felt like wasted potential.
I picked male first because I listened to the voices, and I preferred Jon Curry's. I picked an elf female second (Sumalee Motano), and then I picked a male dwarf (because I wanted to romance Cassandra).
I consider my dwarf (Templar prestige class, allied with Templars, sided with Gaspard, allied with Wardens, Morrigan took the well) as my canon playthrough because my other PC's varied. I figured Hawke and the Warden (though I ended up being wrong with that one) would show up, so I wanted them to be different characters. Hawke was mage and pro-mage Supremacist, and Lady Tabris was nothing like them either.
I'll start this off by saying that once I find my favorite setup I rarely deviate from it; I will play that same character repeatedly and perhaps switch up some choices here or there.
For DAO my very first character ever was a fem dwarf noble warrior. I chose that because I wanted a character that was somewhat analogous to myself in real life (I'm short), and I've observed that warriors are a good class to choose when you're starting out in a new game or franchise because their combat is usually more simplistic. This was also coming off the heels of my only other Bioware game, Neverwinter Nights, where I played as a fighter.
But, after that first character, playing through the game, learning about the world, experiencing the other classes by playing as the followers, I made a human fem mage and never looked back. I played that character several times and she is my canon.
I might have been inclined to make a guy at some point for DAO if I had ever been able to make one whose appearance I was satisfied with, but it never happened.
For DA2 my primary character was a female mage again, but I also had a nice run of rogues of both sexes that I quite enjoyed. As I was able to make a guy I liked to look at, I played as that character quite a bit. The fem mage is my current canon, but I might switch that up to the male rogue at some point in the future.
For DAI I went with the human female mage again for my first play. But... after that I really wanted to make a guy -- human male warrior -- specifically to romance Dorian. I have enjoyed this character so much that he is now my canon for DAI and I continue to play him.
I use a very delicate process with a complex calculating system.
For race: Option A - Dwarf
If unavailable due to restriction (DA2) or they don't look right (DA:I) go to option B
Option B - Human
If too vanilla/cliché (DA:O) go to option C
Option C - play Skyrim
Once bored, go to option D
Option D - roll an Elf mage and dislike yourself in the process
* Qunari are never an option (unless they return to their DA2 look)
For smex: Option A-Z - Male
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