97 réponses à ce sujet

[AnnaBananaBamBamBoo]

Yes, he's my tank. I dropped Allistair a long time ago, I don't like Templars (nor their cousins palladins for that matter).

[7th_Phoenix]

Sten is amazing... he reminds me of my brother. Always sneaking into the kitchen for a cookie and never wants converse in way you'd expect people to. Anyway, I like Sten because of that... not my personal favorite but yes, he's a great character.

[Dick Delaware]

Allerleihrau wrote...

Sten is stubborn, yes, but he doesn't drive me mad at all. I found Sten to be one of the few characters that you can actually influence (if you've got enough coercion skill) and convince that your way of doing things is preferable (and even get approval out of it, because he respects a PC with a backbone).
Unlike, for example, Alistair who drives me mad in a certain discussion (won't give details in a non-spoiler forum, but I'm talking about the one where he will complain that you didn't take route B, if you took route A and vice versa complain, that you should have taken route A, if you took route . This kind of character inconsistency drives me mad.

I wish I had an option in that convo with Alistair to say "If you feel so upset about what happened, (spoiler) then why don't YOU lead? Oh, what's that - you don't want to? Then shut up and let me do my job." Alistair is a likable guy for the most part, but I seriously wanted to tell him to go **** himself - he handed off the responsibility to someone else, now he wants to play armchair quarterback. On the other hand, the fact that he was that upset was completely in character - great characterization.

Sten is great. Even though his way of seeing things is often extremely rigid, his point of view is really refreshing and provides some of the most intelligent dialogue in the game. His lines about the fleeting nature of happiness and how duty is the only thing that you can really rely on to keep you on an even keel in life are great. 

Yeah, he's stubborn, but that's only because his respect his earned. Why the hell should he just blurt out his life story off the bat? He respects you if you're a straight-talking person who shows balls and authority when it's called for - how can you not like the guy?

[Jaulen]

I have Sten as part of Team Death Squad. My DE Rogue, Zevran, Alistair and Sten.

Alisatir is the first to drop, Sten lasts a lot longer then Alisatir, but after Sten drops it's usually up to Zevran and myself to mop up.



And if Sten was romancable.....I wouldn't be a Zevran fan-girl (and if he looked in-game like he does in the original trailer...mmmmm)



He's also usually the companion that gets to 100% first.....even playing dumb with him and questioning his beliefs you get approval from him. (or is my game glitched?)

[Dick Delaware]

You know, it's actually a good question why a guy like Sten isn't a love interest in the game. A tall, brooding, bronze-skinned man with a strict code of honour that he lives by who's not afraid to call you out on your BS if he doesn't like something? I thought a lot of women would be totally into that.

I'm a guy and I play primarily male PC's, but it's always been confusing to me why BioWare has never had a more rugged, stoic character as the leading male love interest. Maybe even a guy with a bit of a dangerous streak to him. Alistair/Carth/Kaiden are all a bit more on the shy or sweet side. It'd be interesting to see something different.

Modifié par Dick Delaware, 04 mars 2010 - 06:57 .

[flixerflax]

PC players can get the mod at dragonagenexus that gives Sten the missing specialization point. I kept him even though Oghren was a better 2h warrior, I had committed to him from an RP perspective, I wanted to help him find atonement. And in the end he called me brother.

[NightmarezAbound]

Jaulen wrote...

He's also usually the companion that gets to 100% first.....even playing dumb with him and questioning his beliefs you get approval from him. (or is my game glitched?)

No, he is just someone that, respects you when you seek to understand something new. Remember hs is sent to find an answer to a question, thereofore when you question and search for answers, he can relate to that, and has respect, because you take in everything that is around you. And in doing so realize those small things are all just a part of the  whole. Which in a way is a step towards the philosophy of the Qun.  Everything has it's place, not matter how small or large, and when something small is strong the whole is strong.

[Dick Delaware]

Good post. I think that sums up what the qunari are about - they're a very rigid, even draconian people, but they really value community and understand that people need to work together to forge something greater. In a sequel (where I'm sure we'll see the qunari again) I hope to see that qunari sense of community. I get the sense that they really take care of one another and value everyone's contributions. Certainly, they have some horrible flaws in their culture as well, but that just makes them all the more interesting.



Probably the most interesting bits of lore in the Dragon Age universe is the qunari, followed by demons, which I also hope are explored in the future more.

[e-ver]

Dick Delaware wrote...

I wish I had an option in that convo with Alistair to say "If you feel so upset about what happened, (spoiler) then why don't YOU lead? Oh, what's that - you don't want to? Then shut up and let me do my job." Alistair is a likable guy for the most part, but I seriously wanted to tell him to go **** himself - he handed off the responsibility to someone else, now he wants to play armchair quarterback. On the other hand, the fact that he was that upset was completely in character - great characterization.

*snip*

You're right, it's completely in character for Alistair to be upset about the whole thing, but what annoys me, is, that in the end, it doesn't matter what I do, because the argument will be the same (unless I go route C, which I don't, because my characters are convinced something bad would happen, if they left the situation unresolved for several days to get a third party involved - even though I as a player know that's not the case).
In my recent game, Alistair himself said before we handled the situation, that this was probably the best way to do it and that the other option was "evil", but back at camp, he still throws a hissy fit.
I would really like to have more dialogue options in this conversation, one to point out that he supported this course of action as well (if I did the quest in that way) and another one like you suggested, because you're absolutely right, someone who is not even taking a part of the responsibility of leadership and didn't do anything to prevent a certain outcome, before it's too late, has no place to complain about it afterwards.


Gahh... sorry, I know this thread is not about Alistair and I don't mean to hijack it.



Sooo... back to Sten: Sten would never behave like that. He questions your decisions sometimes and you may or may not be able to convince him, but when something has been decided or done, it's over.

I also really like, how he gradually comes to respect the PC. When you free him from his cage, he's thoroughly unimpressed and even says that the legends of the Grey Wardens' skills are obviously only that. Then at approval 25+ he tells you that you're not as callow as he thought and in the end, he will call you kadan. When he did that in my first game, I felt that my character had really earned it, more so than any other companions "Friendly" approval.

Dick Delaware wrote...

You know, it's actually a good
question why a guy like Sten isn't a love interest in the game. A tall,
brooding, bronze-skinned man with a strict code of honour that he lives
by who's not afraid to call you out on your BS if he doesn't like
something? I thought a lot of women would be totally into that.

I'm
a guy and I play primarily male PC's, but it's always been confusing to
me why BioWare has never had a more rugged, stoic character as the
leading male love interest. Maybe even a guy with a bit of a dangerous
streak to him. Alistair/Carth/Kaiden are all a bit more on the shy or
sweet side. It'd be interesting to see something different.

Well, after hearing his conversation with Morrigan about iron pry bars, I'm not sure if I would want his company in my tent. He might have just said that so she stopped bothering him, but still...

I'm also not sure if he really sees a female Warden as a woman. You said that you play mainly male PCs, so maybe you haven't gotten this conversation, but he will confront a female PC very early in game about the fact that she is a woman and claims to be fighting the darkspawn, which in his belief can't be true, because women can't be anything, but shopkeepers, artisans and a few other things.
Sten is more open-minded than many people give him credit for, but he is still pretty set in his ways. I'm not sure if he could comprehend a female PC, who is both a leader and comrade in arms and a woman he cares for. The codex enty for the qunari claims that they show "a certain kindness or at least a conspicuous lack of cruelty" towards female qunari.

And there's the fact, that Shale might decide to squish the PCs head if a romance with Sten was pursued. Shale likes to watch "how the light plays on its muscles" after all and just might get jealous.

Modifié par Allerleihrau, 04 mars 2010 - 08:50 .

[Janni-in-VA]

As a player, I love Sten; my PCs, maybe not so much so. But I agree, the first time he called me -- a female PC -- "kadan" I really felt as if I'd accomplished something important. Yes, early on Sten goes through more health poultices than anyone else, but he can be brought up to snuff. I don't power game, so I level my characters fairly evenly while still keeping their major attributes significantly higher than the others. I work on Sten's constitution. He's strong and willful, but his constitution sucks at first. It also pays to watch what kind of armor you put him into. It's usually heavy or massive because he has the strength to wear it, but remember that your enemies go for the most heavily armored character first. That's the other reason he drops like a rock early on; he's drawing all the aggression. However, careful leveling and shrewd use of your tactics slots can make Sten very useful, very useful indeed. Oh, one other thing -- I try to keep Sten for those areas where I know we'll likely meet Darkspawn. He lives to fight Darkspawn. And yeah, I wish he was a romance option...I've got a Dwarven commoner who's been casting her lovely doe eyes in his direction.

[Dick Delaware]

Allerleihrau wrote...
Gahh... sorry, I know this thread is not about Alistair and I don't mean to hijack it.

Hehe, wherever fangirls abound, any thread, anywhere, is about Alistair.

Allerleihrau wrote...
Sooo... back to Sten: Sten would never behave like that. He questions your decisions sometimes and you may or may not be able to convince him, but when something has been decided or done, it's over.

I also really like, how he gradually comes to respect the PC. When you free him from his cage, he's thoroughly unimpressed and even says that the legends of the Grey Wardens' skills are obviously only that. Then at approval 25+ he tells you that you're not as callow as he thought and in the end, he will call you kadan. When he did that in my first game, I felt that my character had really earned it, more so than any other companions "Friendly" approval.

I liked that as well. One of my favourite Sten moments was when you give him his sword and Sten actually smiles. I had to load up my save to replay the conversation again so that I could make sure I wasn't just seeing things.

Allerleihrau wrote...
Well, after hearing his conversation with Morrigan about iron pry bars, I'm not sure if I would want his company in my tent. He might have just said that so she stopped bothering him, but still...

I'm also not sure if he really sees a female Warden as a woman. You said that you play mainly male PCs, so maybe you haven't gotten this conversation, but he will confront a female PC very early in game about the fact that she is a woman and claims to be fighting the darkspawn, which in his belief can't be true, because women can't be anything, but shopkeepers, artisans and a few other things.
Sten is more open-minded than many people give him credit for, but he is still pretty set in his ways. I'm not sure if he could comprehend a female PC, who is both a leader and comrade in arms and a woman he cares for. The codex enty for the qunari claims that they show "a certain kindness or at least a conspicuous lack of cruelty" towards female qunari.

And there's the fact, that Shale might decide to squish the PCs head if a romance with Sten was pursued. Shale likes to watch "how the light plays on its muscles" after all and just might get jealous.

Good point. I've only played once as a woman (elven mage), and I forgot that conversation. Women are not warriors or involved in war, therefore, the Warden cannot be a woman. Anyways, I'm pretty sure Sten was kidding. Even freakishly tall qunari women need gentle lovin' as well.

I think the conversation you have with him in the Epilogue really gives an impression of how his travels have begun to change his views on things. He definitely becomes more open-minded by the end and willing to consider the validity of philosophies outside of the Qun. But yeah, I think that you're correct that he may think that (A) a woman he loves and ( a comrade-in-arms are two mutually exclusive terms. 

This is a bit of a tangent, but I've heard some posters say that Sten is misogynist (not you, of course, but in other threads), which I think is nonsense. One reason the qunari are interesting, is that, like you mention, even though they believe people have very specific, rigid roles in society determined from early childhood that may be based on faulty assumptions, they don't hate women at all or view them as evil or bad. They just believe that they (and men as well), have predetermined places in the world. Now, whether that's true is a whole different debate for a different day, however.

I have an inkling that the vicious cattiness between Morrigan and Leliana in banter about my rakish Human Noble would be a drop in the ocean compared to Shale and a female PC when it comes to Sten. It would be an episode of Springer set in Ferelden.

[Fishy]

I laughed at the whole



I don't understand how human think!

Commoner want to become noble , Noble want to become warrior .. No one 's satified with their position.



That say everything.



Than you can answer with something like

-Maybe they want to be more happy?



Than Sten answer

-Than why they simply don't accept who they are and find that happiness in their Duty?Why try to be something they're not?



Sten own.

[Phonantiphon]

I like Sten, you kinda have to get to know him but I think he's very cool actually. Plus him and doggie are getting along.

[Gecon]

I could handle Honor, but Sten has none. He just believes in fate or something. For example, if you're a woman, you cant be Warrior. Why ? Oh, simply because you are a Woman. End of discussion.

[e-ver]

Dick Delaware wrote...

Hehe, wherever fangirls abound, any thread, anywhere, is about Alistair.

You got the girl part right, the fan part not so much.

I liked that as well. One of my favourite Sten moments was when you give him his sword and Sten actually smiles. I had to load up my save to replay the conversation again so that I could make sure I wasn't just seeing things.

Heh, I did the same thing. This was also one of the (many) occasions, where I was very impressed by the performance of Sten's voice actor, who managed to deliver those lines in a manner that is both both stoic and emotional.

Good point. I've only played once as a woman (elven mage), and I forgot that conversation. Women are not warriors or involved in war, therefore, the Warden cannot be a woman. Anyways, I'm pretty sure Sten was kidding. Even freakishly tall qunari women need gentle lovin' as well.

Yeah, he probably was kidding - and it worked. That makes Sten one of the few companions that manage to own Morrigan in party banter.

This is a bit of a tangent, but I've heard some posters say that Sten is misogynist (not you, of course, but in other threads), which I think is nonsense. One reason the qunari are interesting, is that, like you mention, even though they believe people have very specific, rigid roles in society determined from early childhood that may be based on faulty assumptions, they don't hate women at all or view them as evil or bad. They just believe that they (and men as well), have predetermined places in the world. Now, whether that's true is a whole different debate for a different day, however.

I agree, I don't get the impression of Sten being a misogynist either. He doesn't say women shouldn't be anything but farmers, shopkeepers, etc. because they aren't good enough to do something else but because they are supposed to be that. It may be a fine line, but for me, there is definetly a line there.
We also have to judge the Qunari society based on the things Sten tells us about it, not our own views. And he doesn't say, that women are only allowed to fill a few roles, while men are free to choose, they have predefined roles as well. It's of course true, that the mens' possible roles include those of leadership, while women don't seem to have access to that, but I don't interpret that as misogynism. I can't really explain why, it just doesn't seem like it. Hopefully we will be learning more about the Qunari society in coming expansions and games.

I've also never gotten an misogynistic vibe from Sten in his conversations with my female PCs or in party banter between him and female companions. He can't wrap his head around the whole woman/fighting thing, but he's simply puzzled by that. He never told my PC that she should stop fighting the darkspawn and instead plow a field somewhere, he just tries to understand it.

[Sabriana]

He can be good in combat, but it takes time and patience. I usually dex him up, he gets hit less that way. His missing specialization and bonus points do gimp him.

I turn the aggro off in his tactics right away, and don't stick him in the massive armors.

Sten does get the cake from my PC. Dog doesn't mind. Dog likes Sten, and vice versa, at least the way I RP my game.

My PCs don't have problems with him, he's actually the only one who doesn't mind them speaking their collective minds. They are all female PCs, so the only time they get a bit po'd is through a certain dialogue with him.

[Janni-in-VA]

"I could handle Honor, but Sten has none. He just believes in fate or something."



Ummm, I don't think you understand the concept of honor. Honor simply involves having a clear view of what you consider right and good, and then living up to that. In some societies, a big part of that is defined by the society itself and in others it's a more individual thing. For example, not hitting those weaker than yourself (unless, of course, they're trying to fry you with a fireball) or refusing to stab someone in the back or hit them when they're on the ground or bearing the load of your duty without flinching or refusing to lie about anything important (I'm not talking about polite social lies) might all be considered honorable actions and part of someone's code. To fail in any of these things would be dishonorable, and the person wouldn't have the respect of others who share his/her code.



Other than the life possibilities it offers, fate has nothing to do with honor.

[Challseus]

For me, after talking with him for a little bit, I decided to never use him, lol. Perhaps in my next play through...

[Chakku Sama]

I love Sten, alot like the other posts. I wish he could have a specialization, those 4 extra points so I don't have to spend money on books, and The Qunari Racial ability be something awesome.





Parshaara, Where is the cake? I was told there would be cake. The cake is a lie,

[Hell Mutant]

Sten rules, his character is hilarious. But like others have said, as far as combat goes, you just need set him up properly and bring someone else in the party that will draw the aggro, or he dies.



I would love to see a DLC where you go back with Sten to his homeland.

[GEWill]

knittzu wrote...

Well, just the fact that he dies every 4.5 seconds in combat...

The first half of your quote is what keeps Sten parked at the campsite. Even with adjusted tactics he seem to be allergic to staying alive.

[Jaulen]

Yes to DLC going back with Sten...



The other Sten line I loved, and was suprized at how much emotion he shows is when he's talking about cookies. The way he says so excitedly "YES! Cookies! There are no cookies......" I was both suprized, and amused when I first heard that thinking "Of all the things for him to show emotion about, he gets excited over...cookies?!?!"



I didn't liek Sten when I first tried playing with him, becuase, yes, he died all the time....but I don't miss the extra specialization point (I find I don't really use more than one specialization line anyway). But right now he's in Cailan's armour (Does he look HOT!) I \\plop points into his stregnth dexetrity and some into cunning. Haven't done too much in constitution. But he's a bear on the field if you've leveled him right.....and does he EVER has some sexy kill blows.



And I will admit, the first time on a playthrough where I got him to the point to call me kadan, at the gates and the epi good bye speech, I got a little misty eyed. Especially at the good bye speech....

[urvashi]

Allerleihrau wrote...


I agree, I don't get the impression of Sten being a misogynist either. He doesn't say women shouldn't be anything but farmers, shopkeepers, etc. because they aren't good enough to do something else but because they are supposed to be that. It may be a fine line, but for me, there is definetly a line there.
We also have to judge the Qunari society based on the things Sten tells us about it, not our own views. And he doesn't say, that women are only allowed to fill a few roles, while men are free to choose, they have predefined roles as well. It's of course true, that the mens' possible roles include those of leadership, while women don't seem to have access to that, but I don't interpret that as misogynism. I can't really explain why, it just doesn't seem like it. Hopefully we will be learning more about the Qunari society in coming expansions and games.

I've also never gotten an misogynistic vibe from Sten in his conversations with my female PCs or in party banter between him and female companions. He can't wrap his head around the whole woman/fighting thing, but he's simply puzzled by that. He never told my PC that she should stop fighting the darkspawn and instead plow a field somewhere, he just tries to understand it.

For me, the inherent sexism of Qunari culture was the dealbreaker. He may not say that women aren't good enough for anything but specific tasks, but the fact the the most honored places in Qunari society are reserved for males is pretty darned sexist. It's like saying that black people aren't incapable of riding in the front of the bus, it's just that their place is in the back.
I'd probably like Sten as a character if I could get past the sexism, but I can't. I've left him in Lothering since my 2nd playthrough. 

[Hell Mutant]

Yes, the Qunari have rigid ideas about men and women's roles in their social structure, but if you stick with him, as a female character, he gains respect for you as a warrior and his leader (once he starts calling you "Kadan.")