The other day I read a listicle of someone’s favourite characters in the Dragon Age franchise and, as is always the way with this sort of thing, disagreed vehemently with some of their choices. As someone who has played in excess of 500 hours of Dragon Age, I have some opinions on the characters.
So here are my top nine Dragon Age characters.
9. Cassandra
We first meet Cassandra as the framing device for Dragon Age 2, as she slaps the events of the game out of a beleaguered Varric. But she comes into her own in Inquisition, pretty much dragging your player character along and forcing them to be a hero.
She’s tough, blunt and very religious. Cassandra is the ever present battering ram in my party and I know I’m in trouble if she gets knocked out in combat. But the game also let you see a softer side of her with her love for trashy novels and desire for the perfect romance.
More than that, though, Cassandra is also incredibly willing to admit when she’s wrong, which she does both as part of the main plot and during party banter. If someone introduces her to a new perspective on seeing things she’ll go away and ponder it and, usually, change her own views on the matter.
Her willingness to change and the fact she is well aware of her own flaws and limitations is what sealed her as my very favourite Dragon Age character.
8. Josephine
Lady Josephine Montiliyet is a beautiful Antivan cinnamon roll who is too good for this world. As the Inquisition’s chief diplomat, she’s in charge of dealing with the pesky nobles and is an avowed pacifist, believing in “niceness before knives.”
That said, I am convinced from some of her war table comments that she is an incredibly ruthless woman, and is almost certainly the true power behind the Inquisition’s throne.
Josephine is woman who is fighting to restore her family’s name and status and, if you follow her personal quest line, succeeds. And her romance is like something out of a fairy tale and involves a swashbuckling duel against a rival for her hand.
She is easily my favourite adviser in Inquisition.
7. Dorian
Dorian swaggers into your Inquisitor’s life with a quip and sets the tone for his character.
Witty almost to a fault, it’s very rare you get to see Dorian be truly serious. Distrusted by many because he’s from Tevinter, he nonetheless proves himself a loyal friend. He uses humour and sarcasm to deflect in almost every conversation, but over the course of the game you get to have some serious moments with him. Most notably during his personal quest and his romance story as you learn the true reason behind his leaving Tevinter and the rift with his family.
I almost always include Dorian in my party on the strength of his banter alone, and he gets some great moments with basically every other character.
Dorian is definitely my go to mage.
6. Sera
Sera is a fun loving character who can seem somewhat childish at times, but she’s also very principled and is searching for meaning in a world turned upside down. Crude at times, she’s the perfect antidote to some of the other, more dour and uptight characters cough Solas cough.
She’s an interesting new perspective on the elven plight in Thedas and has a habit of making the other characters think twice about things they’ve assumed about the world.
As a character she’s pretty heavily coded as being neuroatypical, easily being read as having something similar to ADHD. Which, as a neuroatypical gamer myself, makes me feel more welcome. Sera is also the franchise’s first explicitly lesbian characters which definitely wins her points in my eyes. Some people might find her annoying but no matter what anyone else says, Sera is one of my favourite characters and she’s a staple in my party.
5. Merrill
Everyone’s favourite adorable blood mage, Merrill is one of the best things about Dragon Age 2.
At first glance she seems a little ditzy and vacant, especially with her soft Welsh accent provided by Eve Myles. It then comes as a bit of a surprise when she proceeds to do a blood magic ritual five minutes after you meet.
Blood magic is supposed to be bad. Very bad.
Despite her… interesting choice in hobbies, Merrill is a very sweet and caring character, moving to Kirkwall’s alienage to help the elves living there.
Her party banter, particularly with Varric and Isabela, who both seem to take her under their wings, is a joy to behold. They play off her naivete and earnestness in a way that is funny without ever seeming mean and which means none of the other mages ever really make it into my party.
Sorry, Anders.
4. Vivienne
Nicknamed the Iron Lady by Varric (which comes with… interesting baggage for us Brits) Madame de Fer is a politically ambitious Circle mage with a real ruthless streak. When you first meet her there’s a real sense that she’s sensed which way the political winds are blowing and is joining the Inquisition for her own ends ultimately. And indeed, she does use the Inquisition to her political advantage, potentially even ending up as Divine depending on your in-game choices.
She provides an interesting perspective on the topic of mage rights and her personal quest displays a much softer side to the Iron Lady.
Pretty much every line of Vivienne’s party banter is gold, and she has excellent interactions with every character I’ve played her alongside. Iron Bull and Sera are personal favourites for that. And her mage specialisation can make a real difference to your party too; if you spec her Knight-Enchanter specialisation right, she ends up just as badass as Cassandra. I’ve even had fights where Cassandra went down before Vivienne, which surprised the hell out of me.
All in all, Vivienne is best summed up in Sera’s words: she’s a bitch, but she knows it. And she’s great.
3. Morrigan
Morrigan first appears in Dragon Age: Origins and it’s pretty obvious from the outset that she’s only in the saving the world business for her own ends. That said, she does have her own tragic backstory that tugs on the heartstrings a little.
Morrigan is so sarcastic is almost hurts and listening to her criticise, cajole and castigate Alistair was one of my favourite parts of Origins.
To be honest, most of Morrigan’s appeal comes from the fact she’s voiced by Claudia Black, whom I could listen to all day. And with Morrigan we get a twofer on the excellent voice actors front when we meet her mother, Flemeth, who is ruthless, morally suspect and, most importantly, played by Kate Mulgrew.
Any scene featuring Morrigan and Flemeth is such a joy that I often struggle to concentrate on, you know, the plot that’s happening.
Her return in Inquisition is very welcome and she’s still the same old Morrigan we know and love. My only disappointment with her appearance in Inquisition is we don’t really get to see her interact with Cullen. I’m pretty sure that would have been hilarious.
2. Iron Bull
Iron Bull is basically a large dog; he might look intimidating with the horns and muscles, but all he really wants is a bit of fuss and to lick your face off. If you scratch behind his ears just right, he’s basically yours forever.
He’s fun, he’s got a wicked sense of humour and he has a real hard on for fighting dragons that means he’s basically always in my dragon hunting party. Taarsidath-an halsaam etc. But Bull is also capable of being really gentle, his love for his Chargers knows no bounds and he’s great at respecting people’s boundaries.
If you decide to romance Bull, the relationship starts out purely sexual but ends up being incredibly, heart-meltingly sweet. Even more so if you choose to have Bull turn against the Qun.
If my party ever needs a second warrior, I always choose Bull.
1. Krem
Krem is my favourite Charger and that’s only partly because he’s the one you get to interact with the most. As a character he comes across as sweet, funny and incredibly loyal. He’s a great fighter and Bull trusts him to lead the Chargers in his stead.
He’s also Inquisition’s only canon trans character. The matter of him being trans is dealt with pretty respectfully, and while you can ask some more insensitive questions about it, those dialogue options are basically there to educate cis people.
And as much as I love Jennifer Hale, I do really wish they had cast a trans voice actor for Krem. Again, representation matters.
Krem is even the subject of one of my favourite glitches in the game, which means he’s constantly sitting on the back of his chair and pouring wine up his nose.
Who have I missed?
The real strength of the Dragon Age franchise is in its characters, and honestly I could have kept going with my top 20 or 30. The characters are what’s kept me coming back for my sixth, seventh and eighth replay.
So that’s my two cents on the debate. Who are your favourite Dragon Age characters? Who have I tragically left off the list and who am I an abomination for including? Let us know down on the comments.
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