LogFAQs > #895550524

19. Alistair (Dragon Age: Origins)

http://images6.fanpop.com/image/photos/37900000/Alistair-Dragon-Age-Origins-alistair-theirin-37934661-799-588.jpg

"You know, one good thing about the Blight is how it brings people together."

How does someone in a dark fantasy setting who is constantly traveling manage to have hair like that...?

A good amount of my appreciation for Alistair stems from the fact that I've played Dragon Age Origins about 5 times. I love that world and its characters. I've gotten to know really Alistair through all those hours spent marching around Ferelden - not that he didn't give me a great first impression, being the only person in the game at that point who could do their job well and crack a joke at the same time. My time spent with him only got more nuanced from then on. In my first playthrough he was my best bro. In my second, he tore my character's heart out (not literally). Multiple playthroughs in a WRPG can be fun times.

Alistair is a fun character to watch because of how self-aware he is. He's more or less the straight man of the game. While far from incompetent, he prefers following over leading as long as it's a cause he agrees in. He's very sarcastic and doesn't mind stating that he employs it as a defense mechanism. The other weirder members of the party insult him often for various reasons, but he lets it roll off his back and gets a few piercing retorts in every now and then. I could listen to Alistair and Morrigan bicker for days. In general Alistair is just a really fun character to talk and listen to - I almost never take him out of my party because someone needs to be around to make fun of the crazy death cultists, and it can't be me because I'm the one who has to pass the Persuasion checks.

It's also worth noting that he's the one party member most devoted to the cause. Outside of one specific plot instance, Alistair cannot be completely kicked out of the party, nor will he ever leave, no matter how much he hates you. Everyone else can either be asked to leave or will simply take off if they think you suck. Alistair has mission to fulfill, and by god will he finish it even if you're telling him to "piss off" in the middle of the final battle (that is actual dialogue). He's also one of the most altruistic and caring of the group, appreciating every little moment the main character takes to do some good in this world even outside of their main mission.

He's not without weaknesses, though, which are also fun to look at because he doesn't hide a single one. Alistair has major hangups over his family, his birth, and his experience with romance. He'll also talk about these openly and ask for advice on many of them. The guy is very honest and trustworthy and it's pretty refreshing to have that in-between listening to one dwarf backstabbing another dwarf for dumb political reasons. You get a real feel for his character, which makes the roads you can help him down more satisfying and interesting. Will you advise him to become king or acknowledge his wish to stay as a Grey Warden? Will you tell him to keep an idealistic outlook after being spurned by long-lost family or tell him to harden his heart? I've done it all, and every time I came out understanding and appreciating Alistair a little more.
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Black Turtle did a pretty good job.