190 replies to this topic

[Christy]

I've seen posts like these several times, but those have mainly been a discussion about which of the companions who're best tactically. If you didn't have to be afraid of dying, which companions would you use? For me, it would probably be something like this..

 

DAO:

1. Morrigan - she's so mean it's funny. She's got layers too, so it's understandable why she's cold and harsh. I like characters who're in the grey areas when it comes to morality, they're much more interesting to me. Furthermore I like her rebelliousness, especially when it comes to the Chantry.

 

2. Alistair - complete opposite to Morrigan, but just as lovable. You've gotta have him there to share the bad news and witty one liners.

 

3. Dog - he doesn't care what kind of decisions you make. You don't have to bribe him with gifts, he'll always be loyal.

 

The companions in Origins are really awesome in general, though. I love Oghren and Zevran even though (or maybe because) they're so pervy. And I love Sten for stealing cookies from fat kids. I haven't been able to play with Shale unfortunately, but she seems fun too. I'm very.. Neutral, I guess, when it comes to Origins Leliana. She's cool in Inquisition, though. The one companion in Origins I thoroughly disliked was Wynne. Always preachy, always trying to sneak in her next wise quote. She really got on my nerves. And I always had to bring her with me as she was my healer.

 

DA2:

1. Varric - was it even possible to make him mad? He's super chill. A good buddy.

 

2. Isabela - Also not a mage/templar maniac, and I appreciate that a lot in this game. She's layered as well, and not as egosentric as she may seem. Also, pirates are awesome! If you don't think so, you can walk the plank.

 

3. Carver - He's a pain in the ass from time to time, and I didn't like him much at first. I actually had to play the game once more with Bethany to realize how much I missed Carver. Bethany was just so perfect and boring, whereas Carver felt very real. He also grows a lot as a character throughout the game.

 

As for the rest of the characters in DA2, I liked Aveline quite a bit. Her romance quest with Donnic was also fantastic. I don't really know what I feel about Merrill. Kind of cute, kind of annoying. She sure loves her demons. Fenris I found mostly irritating. I know we're supposed to feel for this tortured guy, but he's just such an emo. When it comes to Sebastian and Anders, let's just say I wanted them to meet a slow, painful death. Did they really have to cry so much about mages and Andraste?

 

DAI:

I was super late to the game, so I'm about halfway there, but these are my opinions so far. Don't be afraid of spoilers, though, I know what's gonna happen!

 

1. Dorian - funny, sassy, charming, yet you can see vulnerability underneath all the confidence. He's the only mage I've warmed up to out of the companions in this game so far. Also, he believes in the Maker without being preachy about it. He believes in mage freedom without being preachy about it. Have I said enough that I appreciate the non preachy people?

 

2. Cassandra - I don't always agree with her, but I have come to the conclusion that she's a very good person. She always tries to do the right thing, she always questions herself and she follows her conscience no matter what other people might think. I'd trust her with my life.

 

3. Sera - Always making sure jerks get what they deserve. She really doesn't give a sh*t about social norms. As a very non-materialistic anti snob, I can't help but like her.

 

Now I'm curious. Who do YOU like? Or someone you can't stand? Please share! 

[vertigomez]

Weeeee, alrighty~

DAO: Sten, Morrigan, and Zevran. The snark is strong and they always bring my more idealistic heroes back down to earth. I just find all their personalities really endearing, though I take Alistair and the Dog out for walks occasionally.

DA2: Carver, Aveline, Isabela, and Fenris, though I drag Merrill and Varric and... pretty much everyone everywhere at some point because of the friendship/rivalry system. But Carver is a perma-fixture in my parties until he's not available, and I pretty much exclusively romance Fenris and Isabela so I like to have them with me.

DAI: My absolute favorite three companions are Sera, Bull, and Dorian. They have great chemistry, they're all quick as a whip, witty, and good in a fight. I also like dragging Blackwall, Vivi, and Cole around.

[Andraste_Reborn]

DAO: Probably Shale, Alistair and Zevran. But I love Dog, too! And Sten, and Wynne ... um, it's hard to choose, is what I'm saying.

 

DA2: Merrill, Fenris and Varric, who have the advantage of making a nice, balanced party. I like the other DA2 companions, but those are the three I'm most attached to.

 

DAI: This is the worst, because I love everybody in this game! Even Solas, even though I want to punch him in the face all the time. I'd definitely take Dorian and Sera, but I have no idea how to pick between Blackwall and Bull on personality alone. I guess Blackwall because I liked his romance more? But I could romance Sera and let Dorian and Bull romance each other ... argh.

 

I hereby choose a team consisting of Blackwall, Dorian and Sera standing on top of Bull's horns.

[Xilizhra]

DAO: Alistair, Leliana and Morrigan. They feel like the core companions: Leliana is my girlfriend and morality pet, Alistair is my primary comrade-in-arms and an all-around nice guy, and Morrigan is my magical colleague and sister in disdain for the establishment.

 

DA2: Merrill, Anders, and Varric, though the latter two could also have Aveline fit in sometimes. But Merrill will always be there. For the final battle, I had Merrill, Carver and Varric. Varric is of course my best friend outside Circle politics, and that has Anders in it.

 

DAI: Solas, Dorian, and Sera for a PC who's romancing her; for a PC who isn't, I lean towards Cole. Dorian is the companion who synchronizes with my decisions by far the most; I think I've only ever received one disapproval flag, for drinking from the Well of Sorrows with my elf, and my qunari doesn't even have that. Solas is also great to bring around, and we only really part ways on the topic of the Grey Wardens (I genuinely wish I was attracted to Solas, as it'd be interesting to have my elf romance him). Sera is either lovely or painful to have around, depending on my Inquisitor's proclivities.

[Ghost Gal]

DAO: Alistair, Morrigan, and Zevran. Alistair because he's hilarious, helpful, the party's designated S&S, and my "canon" Warden's love. Morrigan because she's a good person inside and I love seeing glimpses of her true self under a lifetime of Flemeth's abuse and indoctrination. Zevran because he's fun, funny, easy-going, open-minded, likable, has a quip for everything, and, like Morrigan, is a much better person than he lets on.

 

DA2: Merrill and Varric. Merrill because she's one of the few kind, likable, sympathetic Dragon Age companions to date who doesn't just regurgitate Andrastian worldviews (while I like them, Morrigan's really mean and Solas doesn't endear himself with the whole "try to destroy the world" thing), and Merrill is one of the few elven companions who actually likes and wants to help other elves. (Velanna is mean about it, and Solas only considers ancient elves "his people" while trying to destroy the modern world). Varric because he's very chill. The rest can go jump.

 

DAI: Solas, Dorian, and Cole. I often like to joke, "Solas is Lavellan's husband, Cole is their adopted baby, and Dorian is her best man." The rest? Honestly, I could take 'em or leave 'em.

[phoray]

Origins: TL'DR Balanced is Alistair, Wynne, and Zevran. I would like to do an unbalanced team of Alistair, Sten, Oghren or Shale group if magic healing didn't seem a requirement.

 

I've only played twice so far and I was a rogue both times who romanced Alistair. Some of the companions I only know well through conversations at camp. I've realized, as I've watched my husband play with Morrigan as his healer magic dealer, that this has given me a view of the characters that is pretty one sided. I only ever remember Morrigan disapproving of one thing I did, and that was helping the Circle. And then I'd switch to Wynne as my magic dealer. So, when I call her my Soul Sister, I am saying I strongly love this character. She melted in front of me from this harsh woman to someone who realized she could have a real friend too. But I also never had to deal with her disapproval of my generally helpful actions. Which probably would have shaded her character as more flawed.

 

I guess I'm saying I'd have to play Origins more before I could make a true judgement call.   But I would always play Alistair, Wynne and someone. And right now, I'm leaning towards Zevran for his banter with Wynne. Yes, Wynne got offensively preachy to my friend Zev, but he would return it 10 fold with pervy comments to get under her skin too. Which made me feel less grumpy about it. If Wynne couldn't learn to keep her thoughts to herself, then Zev wouldn't either. Especially about her bosom. hahahahahah. Also, Wynne and Zev's comments when I seduced Gammen are golden. Don't worry, I kept mum and he and the love of his life moved on happily.

 

DA2: TL'DR Anders, Fenris, Carver/Aveline had been my balanced group. Unbalanced for entertainment would be: Fenris, Varric, Isabella.

 

Again, only played twice with perhaps the same drawbacks. Anders, Fenris, and someone. But I was getting tired of Anders by the end of my last play through. How dare my lover complain about going on a mission with me and saying there are better things to do elsewhere? Fenris has been getting my interest a lot lately, being that I finally realized he's a different kind of elf. He's no Dalish or City Elf, he's a Tevinter Ex slave and I want more info. Merril is just too...kittens and flowers. My opinion of Bethany is that she is bland as hell. I have yet to experience Sebastian, but his banter is pretty preachy in  the literal sense so I probably would never enjoy him.

 

DAI: Varric, Sera, Cole. And Dorian. Dorian! 100% of the time, adore that man, wish I could have him sooner. Gonna romance him my next game! And forget unbalanced, I would like to have an extra slot (I'd vote to leave me behind) for ALL THE ROGUES to come along. Varric, Sera, Cole. with Dorian. Thanks, that would be my favorite team.   Darn those rogues being all squishy and darn walls that can only be smashed by warriors. I've only played 2.5 times and I am absolutely certain these are my fave characters. I've experienced others; Iron Bull and Solas and Blackwall. Smidgeons of Cass, and even a little bit of Viv made me choose not to do her personal quest. A FIRST.

[lynroy]

DAO: Alistair, Morrigan, Dog because they are the only ones I liked.

DA2: Varric...yeah, he and Hawke would double team everything. I didn't like anyone else.

DAI: Tougher for me to choose just three because I actually liked a majority of the companions. Er, Solas, Sera, Dorian. They can all annoy each other in their own way.

[Bigdawg13]

DAO:  Alistair

 

DA2:  Isabel

 

DAI:  Dorian

 

Most-hated of all 3 games...Solas

[Catilina]

DA:O I dont know really, I like all characters. I switch them. No one mentioned Sten and Shale, I like both for example. And Wynne too. DA:A Anders, Nathaniel and Justice the core group.

 

DA2: Core group: Anders, Fenris, Varric, but I like Aveline, Merrill and Isabela too... I like put in group Sebastian with Fenris, but I don't like Sebastian too much. Legacy at start: Carver, Varric, Fenris/Anders, later: Carver, Fenris, Anders.

 

DA:I I switch them too, but Sera annoying so much (sometimes I put her in the group, I really want to give her chance, but up to now I unable to like her) and Vivienne disagreeable (but fun with Cole). I also like Bull and Solas in same group

Core group: 2 mages (my characters are mages, ergo mostly Dorian or Solas come with me, Vivienne only in few times), 1 warrior (I like Cassandra, Blackwall and Bull too) and 1 rogue mostly Cole/Varric.

[LobselVith8]

DAI: Solas, Dorian, and Cole. I often like to joke, "Solas is Lavellan's husband, Cole is their adopted baby, and Dorian is her best man." The rest? Honestly, I could take 'em or leave 'em.

 

My lineup for Inquisition would be the same, although the order would vary a bit. Dorian, Cole, Solas. Dorian is one of the few people I honestly seemed to get along with as Lavellan (I'm sure the Imperium must have loved that - a Tevinter befriending a Dalish elf). Cole was interesting, and it was nice not to worry about getting a lecture about the Andrastian faith like you do with Giselle or Cassandra. Solas actually says a lot of the same things Merrill does - about spirits not being good or evil, about blood magic being a tool - so I think that's part of the reason why we got along, and I did like that he ultimately conceded that he was wrong to generalize the Dalish like he did in the beginning.

 

DA2: Merrill and Varric. Merrill because she's one of the few kind, likable, sympathetic Dragon Age companions to date who doesn't just regurgitate Andrastian worldviews (while I like them, Morrigan's really mean and Solas doesn't endear himself with the whole "try to destroy the world" thing), and Merrill is one of the few elven companions who actually likes and wants to help other elves. (Velanna is mean about it, and Solas only considers ancient elves "his people" while trying to destroy the modern world). Varric because he's very chill. The rest can go jump.

 

Merrill really belonged in Inquisition (she has experience with the Eluvians, she is adept with magic, she has a pro-Dalish outlook that is completely missing from the entirety of Inquisition). I think I would have found Inquisition more enjoyable if there was at least one pro-Dalish person I could talk to as Lavellan. Varric is also a good guy (I've give him an honorary mention for Inquisition as well, considering how he looks out for Lavellan and his Clan in a way nobody else does after he becomes Viscount). Anders would also be on my list (he's deeply, deeply flawed, but I could sympathize with him walking down this dark road after the tranquility and death of his first love, Karl).

[themikefest]

DAO - Morrigan, Leliana, dog

DAA - Nate, Sigrun

DA2 - Isabela, Aveline, Bethany/Carver

DAI - Cassandra, Dorian

[Liadan]

DAO: Alistair, Morrigan, Zevran

 

DAA: Nathaniel, Anders, Sigrun

 

DAII: Carver/Aveline, Varric, Anders

 

DAI: Dorian, Solas, Blackwall

[robertmarilyn]

DAO: Allistair, Zevran, Teagan

 

DAA: Nathaniel, Anders, Sigrun

 

DAII: Carver, Anders, Aveline

 

DAI: Cullen, Cole, Dorian

[TheRatPack55]

DAO - Hmm, Zevran, I guess. I liked his dialog the best. Also Morrigan. Alistair just came off as the devs trying way too hard to make him sound like what the kids like these days, in that Buffy sort of way. And I was never a fan of Buffy.

 

DA2 - I liked everyone but it's still Anders > giant chasm > everyone else.

 

DAI - Dorian. I like Blackwall's story a lot but as a character he's far too goody two shoes now to be a favorite of mine. I prefer more morally questionable types.

[VivainaDX]

DAO- Zev, Morrigan and my puppy. They all made me happy in different ways.  

Awakening- Nathaniel and Anders.

DA2- Varric (for personality, but I hated using Bianca), Fenris and Anders.

DAI-Dorian, The Iron Bull and a toss up between Sera and Cole (as party members and banter) Cullen, Rylen, Morrigan, Krem and Harding as NPC's

 

Oh! And of course Flemeth! Flemeth was great.  

[Voidinist]

DAO - Shale, Sten, Zevran

 

My morally questionable squad.

 

DAA - Nathaniel, Sigrun, Ser Pounce-a-lot

 

My precious squad.

 

DA2 - Sebastian, Carver, Varric

 

My I can barely tolerate the others squad.

 

Shame I can't choose which sibling lives beyond class selection. I don't like playing a mage Hawke but I definitely prefer him over Bethany.

 

DAI - Cassandra, Vivienne, Sera

 

My indestructible lady squad.

[jlb524]

Honestly, I just use the female companions in every game.  Though, it works out for the most part, as they are a variety of combat roles.

[Barquiel]

DAO: Leliana, Morrigan, Alistair

DAA: Velanna, Oghren, Sigrun

DAII: Isabela, Varric, Bethany

DAI: Cassandra, Dorian, Varric

[Yermogi]

DA:O - Alistair and Zevran definitely. Shale and Oghren are tied for third, I can't pick between the two. But Wynne has a special place in my heart when it comes to my fem!Amell, since the relationship between the two in the game seemed very surrogate mother-y, and I thought it was sweet.

 

DA2 - Merrill, Varric, and Bethany. Merrill and Bethany are both so adorable and I am very much a Big Sister in personality, so I feel so protective of those two. It sucks that you can't pick between Bethany and Carver though, since I hate Carver but I LOVE playing a mage. And Varric is Varric. He's fun and I loved talking to him. Plus, in DA2 I can still think that he's awesome since I haven't yet met Bianca, who sucks.

 

DA:I - Dorian and Cole, absolutely. They're so great in different ways. Cole loves and cares so very much about people, and I always want to deck anyone who has anything bad to say about him. Meanwhile, Dorian is flamboyant and funny and charming and if you play as a female who befriends him he's like the most loyal friend to you, supports you completely. And then we have Vivienne. I'll be honest and say that I don't really agree with her politics, and I don't like how manipulative and opportunistic she is, BUT I LOVE her grace, her poise, her intelligence, her elegance in both stature and in speech, basically everything else about her. She is who I would like to be, except for the aforementioned tendencies to manipulate and use people for personal gain. 

[Cyberpunk]

DAO: Can't go wrong with the originals

Leliana

Morrigan

Zevran

 

DAA: I really miss this game. I liked it more than DAO in many ways

Justice

Oghren

Velanna

 

DA2: Probably the best characters in the series

Merrill

Fenris

Anders

 

DAI: Sad but none of the actual companions were that memoriable this time around

Josephine

Gaspard

Cullen

[Tidus]

In my case I use the following in all games and my best answer is.

 

DA:O Leliana,Zevran Morrigan

 

DA:2 Don't know.Can't stay interested.

 

 

DA:I Sera,Cassie and Blackwall. Exception being the siege of Haven then I use Dorian as well as my mage.

[DreamerM]

In DA:O...hmm...

I LOVED Wynne, just from a gameplay standpoint. Badass granny? Yes please. Badass granny healer? Get in my party! Also, I'll bring Zevran, because he's hilarious, but when it came to rogues my default was Liliana. And Alistair was a ray of sunshine wherever he went.

I was surprised how much I came to care about Sten as well. He was the eye of a hurricane, just this calm knot of pure power. And I felt wierdly protective of Zevran. And Morrigan, for that matter. I imagined the Inquisitor would head off to Morrigan's little side camp after each meal, supposedly to bring her a portion of rations, but really so she could have some of whatever Morrigan had cooked, which was always better then what everyone else had been eating. The two of them would sit late into the night and talk about all kinds of things.

 

In DA2, things were a lot less friendly. But Aveline was my GIRL, she was tough and fair and loyal and could have a love life without being Pin-Up beautiful. I liked Fenris too, he had that Gaider charm, and getting drunk and possibly getting it on with him on the anniversary of the day he escaped? Yes. All of the that. But Verrik was the guy who was basically never out of my party. Not having him might mean missing one of his quips, and THAT would have been tragic. My first playthrough I actually lost Isabela when she took off with the book and never came back, just because I had never had her in party because it would have meant leaving Verric behind.

 

DA:I I am always torn who to take as my party mage: Dorian or Solas.

 

Solas knows everything about everything and I love his wisdom and dry humor... But there's no way not to love Dorian, considering the lengths he goes to to earn your trust and the price he pays to stay by your side. There's no one I'd rather be stranded in time with.
 

And Cole... Cole makes me feel things. Cole doesn't need to be more like people. People need to be more like Cole. He's half feral child, half angel.

And Cassandra! She's even tougher and less compromising then Aveline, and her heart is even bigger. I love her fondness for sappy romance novels. She's so great.

[Christy]

I hereby choose a team consisting of Blackwall, Dorian and Sera standing on top of Bull's horns.

Yes! This I want to see! 

 

 

Solas is also great to bring around, and we only really part ways on the topic of the Grey Wardens

I was surprised to see how many of our companions who disliked the decision of keeping the Wardens as allies. Sure, they might possibly be corrupted, but so were normal mages and Templars withouth having a connection to the Blight. And to banish them altogether? Seems very drastic to me, especially when thinking about the fact that we don't yet have any other method to defeat future Blights. We shouldn't weaken a group our lives will likely depend on in the future. 

 

Alistair because he's hilarious, helpful, the party's designated S&S, and my "canon" Warden's love.

I always end up romancing Alistair whether I want to or not. One time I was all: "This time! This time I'm going to romance Zevran once and for all and see how that goes." But then I was in camp, Zevran wasn't there yet, and the flirty options popped up with Alistair. I have no self restraint apparently. 

 

Merril is just too...kittens and flowers. My opinion of Bethany is that she is bland as hell. I have yet to experience Sebastian, but his banter is pretty preachy in  the literal sense so I probably would never enjoy him.

Yes, bland, that was the word I was looking for!   About Merrill, I agree. Yes, so preachy. I used to put him in a group with Isabela just to torment him, problem is they're just so squishy and easily killed.

 

 

DA2: Varric...yeah, he and Hawke would double team everything. I didn't like anyone else.

If you managed to defeat that rock wraith in the Deep Roads with just the two of you, you're my hero!

 

 

DA:I I switch them too, but Sera annoying so much (sometimes I put her in the group, I really want to give her chance, but up to now I unable to like her)

I think she might be one of those characters you either hate or love

 

Merrill really belonged in Inquisition (she has experience with the Eluvians, she is adept with magic, she has a pro-Dalish outlook that is completely missing from the entirety of Inquisition).

Hadn't thought of this, but Merrill could probably be an interesting character in this game because of everything that's going on indeed.

 

 

Shame I can't choose which sibling lives beyond class selection. I don't like playing a mage Hawke but I definitely prefer him over Bethany.

I wish that was possible as well. Still, If i'd pick Carver as a warrior, I'd probably be even more stuck with Anders.. 

 

Honestly, I just use the female companions in every game.  Though, it works out for the most part, as they are a variety of combat roles.

Any particular reason? 

 

But Wynne has a special place in my heart when it comes to my fem!Amell, since the relationship between the two in the game seemed very surrogate mother-y, and I thought it was sweet.

I must admit the conversations between Wynne and Alistair were kind of cute from time to time. Her being all "old and wise" didn't really do much for me though. Maybe it would have worked better if she didn't have the body of a 20 year old, she didn't seem too fragile to me!

[Christy]

And I felt wierdly protective of Zevran. And Morrigan, for that matter.

 

But Aveline was my GIRL, she was tough and fair and loyal and could have a love life without being Pin-Up beautiful.

 

But Verrik was the guy who was basically never out of my party. Not having him might mean missing one of his quips, and THAT would have been tragic. My first playthrough I actually lost Isabela when she took off with the book and never came back, just because I had never had her in party because it would have meant leaving Verric behind.

 

And Cole... Cole makes me feel things. Cole doesn't need to be more like people. People need to be more like Cole. He's half feral child, half angel.

And Cassandra! She's even tougher and less compromising then Aveline, and her heart is even bigger. I love her fondness for sappy romance novels. She's so great.

I know what you mean when it comes to Zev and Morrigan. I can't understand how someone would be mean to them, they've had some major childhood trauma and are obviously not as carefree or indifferent as they might seem.
 

Good point on Aveline! I wish more companions had relationships, I don't want them to be these empty vessels waiting to be filled up by the player.. If that makes any sense.   Also, I think the companions tend to be slightly too good looking in general. You're supposed to save the world, not take part in a model competition.

 

Haha! The Varric thing. 

 

Man, the Cole dilemma. I really don't know what's best for him. I made him more human. He seems okay. Still, I don't know..

 

Cassandra and her love for sappy romance stories. Funniest DA quest I've ever come across. It even beats Aveline and Donnic, and that's no small feat!

[phoray]

I
 
Man, the Cole dilemma. I really don't know what's best for him. I made him more human. He seems okay. Still, I don't know..
 
eat!

I went the route of more spirit on my play with through with trepidation. But then it turned out great. He was so thankful and he erased his own hurt. So I was like, man! I should do this every time, this is the best!

Then we had a chat in the ramparts. And he erased all of the Cole bits he'd taken on, equivalent, to me, of killing all it was that I had gotten to know that was "him." The Quiz says, "Cole?"

He says, all stone like..."yes... you can still call me that name... if you prefer..."

I was like, oh my god, I helped Cole suicide. Never again.

I also don't know if I'll revert exile the Wardens, even when the game punishes you with the dialogue option. Exiting them doesn't punish them, it punishes future Orlais. Also, hello. The Inquisition is not a country to be exiling organizations without discussing it with the Monarchy.