Rath Darkblade wrote:I'm re-re-re-playing Dragon Age 1, particularly because I prefer just about everything about it to DA2 (except the graphics, but that's another story).
If it's another story, why bring it up? That's like starting a conversation with "no offense" but actually saying something offensive.
Rath Darkblade wrote:Anyway, I was thinking... is there any point in DA1 to angering all your companions to the point that they leave (apart from the novelty value)?
It would seem to me that, from the point of view of the story, it would make sense to get everyone to stick together (obviously). Now of course, it wouldn't make sense for you to
only have the option of acting like a goody-goody to everyone; I understand that. But since Alistair and Morigan, etc., are with you for the long term, surely it makes sense not to act like an ass to them all - and yet you can.
So, why? What do you think?
I've always hated the approval system in DA:O because it limits how you can act and react. Unlike the Mass Effect series, where your companions will stick by you even if you're an asshole, in DA:O they'll throw a temper tantrum and leave.
Essentially that means playing up to them, so if you've got Morrigan with you, you can't be charitable; however, you have to be very law-abiding with Wynn there. It gets stupid.
As for pissing your companions off, I think it's possible with all of them except Loghain and your dog. Not all of them can be turned away through simple dialogue or everyday actions, however.
Here's a complete breakdown (to my knowledge) of how you can get rid of companions:
Dog: You can't if you're a Noble; otherwise, you can choose not to cure him early on and let him die, thereby bypassing any chance to get him.
Alistair: Spare Loghain at the Landsmeet and let him undergo the Joining ritual to become a Warden. There's nothing you can say or do that'll convince Alistair to fight alongside Loghain.
If Alistair calls for Loghain's death and doesn't marry Anora, she'll try to have him arrested and executed. You can stop this, or let him be killed.
Morrigan: Piss her off through various actions, especially by being critical of mages and pro-Templar. She'll return later on, however, because of story-related events.
Wynn: Piss her off by being an ass or a horrible person. Being a Reaver really gets on her nerves and if you destroy the Urn of Ashes, she'll attack you, forcing you to kill her (if she's not actively with you, she'll leave once you return to camp). You can keep Wynn -- and destroy the urn -- only if you acquire her after it.
Leliana: Piss her off by being very critical of her or kill her after destroying the Urn of Ashes. You can intimidate her to avoid fighting her and get her to back down. I don't recall if you can leave the first town in the game without picking her up, but if you can, she'll die there.
Zevran: Tell him to "get lost" or kill him after his failed assassination. You can also piss him off later, although he's much more difficult to insult and annoy than the others.
Ogden: Honestly, I used him so little, I don't remember, but I'm sure there's a way to piss him off enough so he'll leave. I imagine doing something (or not doing something, whatever the case may be) in the Dwarven areas might do, but I could be wrong.
Sten: Don't free him in the first town, thereby letting him die with the rest of the villagers. Otherwise, you can probably insult him enough to get him to leave, but I had him with me even less than Ogden, so I don't know the details on how to do this.
Shale: Easiest way is to avoid freeing her entirely. If you do free her, I'm not sure you can get rid of her. I don't think she's as well developed as the others due to being a DLC character.
Loghain: Well, the obvious solution is to kill him yourself or let Alistair kill him during a duel at the Landsmeet. Aside from that, you can't get him to leave. He'll sacrifice himself at the end, much like Alistair. So there's that.
Really, I think the only three characters who're inherently important to the plot are Alistair, Morrigan and Loghain. The others make the game more enjoyable, but they aren't needed.
