For a long time, I shared the common view that Vivienne was poisonous character with no depth. Everything's just the Game with her, and she only cares about herself. But having done a playthrough with her constantly in the party, I've realised she's complex, very useful, and usually right. Here's a few reasons why:
1. This bit of dialogue between her and Cole gives a poignant insight into how she became what she is::
- Cole: Stepping into the parlor, hem of my gown snagged, no, adjust before I go in, must look perfect.
- Vivienne: My dear, your pet is speaking again. Do silence it.
- Cole: Voices inside. Marquis Alphonse.
- Cole: "I do hope Duke Bastien puts out the lights before he touches her. But then, she must disappear in the dark."
Then we learn how she got back at him:
- Cole: Gown tight between my fingers, cold all over. Unacceptable. Wheels turn, strings pull.
- Cole: He hurt you. You left a letter, let out a lie so he would do something foolish against the Inquisition. A trap.
- Vivienne: Inquisitor, as your demon lacks manners, perhaps you could get Solas to train it.
So Vivienne set up the offensive noble who appears during her recruitment. Good.
2. She is awesome in battle. In my experience, Vivienne is the strongest follower you can have.
3. She gets abuse all the time, and deals with it in good humour. You get the impression her whole life has been like this. And her dialogue with Sera is some of the funniest in the game.
4. She totally has the measure of Fen'harel:
- Solas: Tell me, Enchanter. Do you even bother to explore the Fade in your dreams?
- Vivienne: I prefer to explore the world I actually live in.
- Solas: Pity. You could be much more powerful if you ventured outside your narrow preconceptions.
- Vivienne: Ah, the temptation to leave the path. You sound like a pride demon.
- Solas: Enchanter, any pride demon you met would just walk away, shaking its head and laughing uncontrollably.
- Vivienne: Oh darling, more than one already has.
Also:
- Vivienne: I don't know what to make of Solas. So much knowledge and so little personal history... I find that... peculiar, don't you?
Also:
- Vivienne: So, apostate. If the Circle is such a failure, what would be your solution? Would you have your fellow mages live among the people, unguarded, unwatched?
- Solas: Yes.
- Vivienne: And when they became possessed, or use their power to harm?
- Solas: I would kill them. Magic is more elegant than a blade or a bow, but a murderer remains a murderer.
- Vivienne: So you alone would pass judgment, repay murder with murder, or do we open this up to mobs and vigilantes? If you're going to dispense judgment upon violent mages yourself, you'll need eternal life and omniscience. If only there were individuals dedicated to finding and eliminating such criminals. Perhaps they might help?
- Solas: I am certain they would. Until black and white distinctions perverted their simple minds.
5. She's a tough old bird. The thing about Vivienne is that she's always self-sufficient, and seems always to have needed to be. Witness her reaction to Bastien's death.
6. She's all about the reality of things. She's pragmatic, and she's usually right. What works is good. Ideology is dangerous. She trusts no-one, and if there's one thing we learn in DAI, it's that no-one can be trusted.
Anyway, I think it's often overlooked that she's a complex, very well-written, and quite symapthetic character. Her vanity is explained and understandable, but beneath it is wisdom.
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