Approval

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See also: Friendship and Rivalry

Although it is possible to play through Dragon Age: Origins using only the character you create, the game is designed around a party containing the player Warden and as many as three additional companions. These three additional party members may be selected from among the many prospective companions encountered throughout Ferelden. Your party members are not just important for combat; they often have personal connections to your quests and may ask for your help with quests of their own. They also have very different personalities. Thus actions that please some companions may also simultaneously displease others. Gaining or losing the approval of companions will often have significant effects within the game. Nevertheless, when you disagree with your companions on matters of substance, you can often make up for it through gifts, particularly ones that they find personally meaningful.

Only the ten full companions in Origins and the seven full companions in Awakening have approval ratings; temporary companions who may join your party do not. A character’s approval rating can be viewed on his or her character record. The lowest possible approval rating is (-100), the highest possible is (+100), and the initial approval rating for new "full" companions is 0. (Temporary companions do not have an approval bar on their character sheets.) When party members’ approval ratings rise, additional conversation opportunities will open up. These provide the opportunity to get to know your companions better. They may also lead to new quest options or, for certain characters, the possibility of romance. Regardless of the numerical approval rating, most companions will not shift to the final stage ("friendly" or "love") on the scale listed below until their personal quest has been completed.

When a party member’s approval falls, however, bonuses degrade and you risk abandonment or betrayal. If approval reaches critical (-100), the companion will try to leave the party. You will have a single chance to talk him/her out of it, which you won't be given should they reach crisis for a second time. Alistair can not be made to leave the party before the Landsmeet, however.

1 Approval Rankings
2 Approval and Attribute Bonuses
3 Approval and Party Members
4 Approval/Disapproval Dialogues in Origins
- 4.1 The Warden and Companion Dialogues
- 4.2 Encounter Dialogues
5 Approval/Disapproval Dialogues in Awakening
- 5.1 The Warden and Companion Dialogues
- 5.2 Encounter Dialogues
6 The Darkspawn Chronicles

Approval RankingsEdit

As your approval increases (or decreases), their feelings towards you will also change. Initially, they are at "Neutral" upon joining. As it changes, their greetings and dialogue will change slightly to reflect their relationship to you, depending on approval rating and whether or not you are in a romance.

Approval Rating	Disposition	Romance
(-100)	Crisis	Interested
-99 - -26	Hostile
-25 - 25	Neutral
26 - 50	Warm
51 - 70		Care
71 - 75		Adore
76 - 90	Friendly	Adore
91 - 100	Friendly	Love

Regardless of the numerical value, romanced companions will not reach "Love" until their personal quests are completed. Neither will most non-romanced companions reach "Friendly" until their quests are also completed. Note that there are some exceptions: your dog will always be at 100 (Friendly) approval no matter what, and Secret Companion will never go above "Warm".

Approval and Attribute BonusesEdit

Characters who are confident in your leadership may also earn attribute bonuses to their primary attribute, ranging from "minor" through "moderate" and "major" to "massive", depending on approval rating as follows:

Note: These bonuses are not cumulative, i. e. the companion will get a maximum bonus of +6, not of +13.

Approval Rating	Bonus to Stat
25%	+1
50%	+2
75%	+4
90%	+6

The attribute that is increased depends on the character, and is usually related to their role.

Alistair gets a bonus to constitution.
Leliana gets a bonus to cunning.
Morrigan gets a bonus to magic.
Oghren gets a bonus to constitution.
Secret Companion gets a bonus to strength.
Shale gets a bonus to strength.
Sten gets a bonus to strength.
Wynne gets a bonus to willpower.
Zevran gets a bonus to dexterity.

Approval and Party MembersEdit

Dragon Age: Origins does not possess a "morality scale" akin to other popular RPG series like Fable and Knights of the Old Republic, but the approval of your party members often reflects morality. Alistair, Leliana, and Wynne tend to approve of moral choices where the player goes out of their way to help others and spare the lives of innocents. Morrigan, Shale and Zevran tend to favour dark, brutal or ruthless options. Oghren and Sten in contrast can seem almost stoically neutral, but even these two have their own "weaknesses" when it comes to The Warden's behavior or appreciation...

“We now have a dog and Alistair is still the dumbest one in the party.” — Morrigan
This article contains spoilers for Dragon Age: Origins. Click here to reveal them.

Personal agendas and quirks also set the tone for a companion's approval/disapproval. Some examples:

Sten is a hard character to please. He is very blunt and direct, and thus will see many of The Warden's options as distractions and weaknesses. You can start off with (+6) if you inquire about his condition after being caged so long. If confronted by Sten about your plans regarding the Blight, the dialogue choice "I'm not here to impress you" will yield (+4). Upon reaching the Village of Haven, Sten may challenge the player to a fight; defeating Sten in this duel assures him you are a strong leader and will earn (+10).

Shale's reactions to A Paragon of Her Kind are very significant; your choices while resolving that quest can earn (+23) or more when siding with Caridin, or cost as much as (-33) when siding with Branka. Also, modifying Shale's crystals will unlock a new dialogue; if The Warden comments that the crystals are "slimming" or "pretty", Shale will approve.

Oghren favors the acquisition of battle-gear. If the PC accepts dwarven armor from Owen as a reward for finding his daughter, Oghren will approve. Conversely, he disapproves if The Warden acquires The Green Blade but then gives it to the untrained young woman and small boy who were to inherit it. Oghren is also generally in favor of bravery, lechery and drunkenness. Calling Dwyn a coward earns approval. Shouting "Death first!" when confronted by Ser Cauthrien earns approval. "Partaking" at The Pearl earns (+3). All but one of the gift that Oghren especially values are alcoholic beverages... and the other is a drinking-vessel.

Leliana is influenced by charitable actions, which include agreeing to help Dagna in Orzammar and taking a Chantry Sister's side against an unscrupulous merchant.

Approval/Disapproval Dialogues in OriginsEdit

The Warden and Companion DialoguesEdit

Encounter DialoguesEdit

Approval/Disapproval Dialogues in AwakeningEdit

The Warden and Companion DialoguesEdit

Encounter DialoguesEdit

The Darkspawn Chronicles Edit

The DLC The Darkspawn Chronicles also features a similar approval system, although it is about respect rather than friendship. The exact deciding factors of whether approval is given in The Darkspawn Chronicles during fighting is unknown, it is only known that it is the finishing blow that, sometimes, yields approval points. There are also no dialogue options to increase approval although there are gifts (Which will always raise approval by 20+, no matter how many times applied).

There is also an achievement directly tied to gaining full approval from 'all types of thralls'.

Note: For the Enthralling achievement, you must gain full approval from a: Genlock; Hurlock; Ogre; Shriek; Hurlock Emissary; Blight Wolf. Although other types of darkspawn are recruitable, they do not count.