This topic is just for fun. I would like to know how you played DAO or DA2, did you try and do the right thing or did you become a ruthless bastard?

I myself aways took the ruthless path, blood always spilled in my playthroghts. Hehe, I'm such a bad little boy!203.45.127.20 (talk) 03:38, June 5, 2012 (UTC)

• Leaned good, but occasionally had moments of ruthlessness. Also, there were times where my Warden did things that my Hawke would disagree with, and vice versa. DAWUSS (talk) 03:50, June 5, 2012 (UTC)

I always tried to be good but pragmatic. Still, sometimes I really wished that the game would show where the heads fly if you chop them off. I would have loved to take Cauthrien's head with me into the Landsmeet and ask Loghain if it is customary to post a goonsquad to keep people out of the chamber in my first playthrough (in the second the lucky girl lost her head already in Arl Howe's estate). I hope the elven gods forgive my Warden the inappropriate glee he felt when killing Loghain's colon-crawling toadies.--Navarion (talk) 12:39, June 5, 2012 (UTC)

I chose whatever I thought would make me the most amount of money - but I wasn't smart about it, and it backfired more than once. I guess I should have expected that blackmailing someone who just learned that his daughter died wouldn't exactly make him my greatest pal.125.251.12.2 (talk) 12:48, June 5, 2012 (UTC)

Right now I have three canon pathways.

The first one was my recreation of my first playthrough with all the secrets known to me now. A noble human male who I believe never set foot outside of his family's castle. He's taught well by his parents and thus is always trying to do the right thing. But the war changed him and he doesn't see everythign in black and white - there are shades. He knows sometimes he needs to do evil deeds so that the world could be a better place - i.e.e go for Bhalen to help the castless.

Another is one I made to see how the evil choices turn out. It's a female City Elf. She hates the humans for killing her family and raping her cousin, but likes dwarves, and especially the elves. She romanced Zevran because he's an elf like her. She makes all the evil choices when dealing with humans, i.e. extortion, but tries to help the non-humans. She doesn't care for mages, she could go either way.

My latest one is a dwarf commoner. Brought up in poverty, he was a petty criminal. At first he only cared for the money, and there was nothing he wouldn't do to get it; it was caused by the environment he grew up in. But as he left Orzammar, he gradually left that behind him, thanks to the encouragement by his sister. He fell in love with a human girl and became half-good, half-bad, depening on the situation. When LEske betrayed him, he learned that he can trust no-one which made him sceptical. But he still found being a Warden a calling and so he devoted himself to the cause. At the same time, he never forgotten his fellow dwarves and did everything to help the castless. When he became a Paragon, he continued the mission.

I have taken these characters into DA2.

The noble human was pretty much the same as Hawke, seeing they were both humans. He befriended everyone but Merill and Anders, but not because they were mages - he likes mages, but to a degree. He doesn't like the Circles, but sees them as the best solution right now. He is sarcastic/diplimatic.

The female elf became a female Hawke that had lesbian sex with Merill and Isabela, but who ended up with Fenris. She shared his views and thus disliked mages and all the authority in general. She is violent/sarcastic.

I have yet to play the dwarf one, but I don't see much point right now. :) Henio0 (talk) 14:46, June 5, 2012 (UTC)

These aren't mutually exclusive options, OP... I normally go for a just, good guy. But I'm brutally harsh with Justice (No second chances). RomeoReject (talk) 14:58, June 5, 2012 (UTC)

Kain and Warlock. --87.93.68.32 (talk) 15:58, June 5, 2012 (UTC)Jak Darckner

That all depends on what you consider to be a "ruthless bastard". I personally feel that all of my choices were completely justified. Destroyed the Urn of Sacred Ashes because I don't care for that religion and because I was promised power from the cultists. Killed the Dalish because they were selfish, racist jackasses that blaimed me for the fate of their ancestors, and because the werewolves are better allies. Preserved the Anvil of the Void because it is needed to stop the blight. The smaller things don't really matter.--108.60.172.174 (talk) 07:03, June 9, 2012 (UTC)

^I think everything you posted would be considered Ruthless by most people lol. For me I generally go for playing the good hearted character. I remember reading an article somewhere that role playing in MMO's and rpgs where you have a silent protagonist like in NWN2 and DAO that one of your characters will usually be an idealized version of yourself. I honestly find that to be true. My first and favorite character in DAO was Vincent Cousland and basically I made decisions based on what I would do in real life. I found that my character was a lot like Robb Stark or Ned Stark from the Ice and Fire series. I wonder if anyone else made a characters based off decisions they would make if it were really happening to them.--Vincent Cousland (talk) 12:42, June 9, 2012 (UTC)

I don't think its really ruthless, I acted with the mindset that the blight must be stopped at all costs. Being "good hearted" is not what a Grey Warden does, they do what they must to stop the blight. --R0B45 (talk) 06:07, June 10, 2012 (UTC)

For me and my two wardens ( Dalish and Human Noble) i just wanted to save everyone i could and make ferelden a better place. ive been deprived of that in DA2 but ill still try and save everyone that i can.My wardens like mages, sided with Bhelen because he could do the best for Orzammar, sided with the dalish and sided with the mages, So i was like rightious and just but i guess in DA2 ill mix it up a little --TheNightTwins (talk) 06:31, June 10, 2012 (UTC)

Even my Dalish warden killed the dalish. Just for fun. --87.93.73.104 (talk) 13:49, June 11, 2012 (UTC)Jak Darckner

Hehe, that is rather ruthless of you. My approval has risen to 100 points. All hail Darkside! 203.45.127.20 (talk) 02:36, June 12, 2012 (UTC)

I played DA1 and DA2 (and ME1-2-3) as a straight up good character. Duncan says Wardens have to do anything it takes to stop the Darkspawn, which I thought was a BS line from a jaded, shellshocked veteran who's seen too many battles and forgotten what he's fighting to save, so as an F-U to Duncan I refused to make my Warden a ruthless jerk. In DA2 I tried to play Hawke the same way, even though it cost me some rivalry/friendship points with certain associates. The way I play RPGs, I try to stick with Good characters, behaviors, and responses, because I see this world (our real world, that is) as a crapsack where individuals can't make a real difference; it's only in a fantasy world that I (or my stand-in) can actually change the world for the better. Thelastbrunneng (talk) 15:49, June 12, 2012 (UTC)

Doesn't Hawke still end up getting involved with a genocidal war, regardless of whether they were a nice person? Or doesn't the Warden's efforts suffer a bit when they're too strong of morals to do-what-must-be-done? That's why I figured against playing an ALL-nice character, even fantasy people should reflect the dichotomy of real world individuals as well. EzzyD (talk) 16:13, June 12, 2012 (UTC)

Hawke does get involved in said war, but Hawke doesn't know that until the end. I do, you do, we all know it now, but i try to play my Hawke as if they didn't. My Hawke is still trying to prevent a Templar-Mage conflict right up until Anders takes that option off the table and forces everyone's hand. And the Warden's task is definitely harder when they aren't picking at least some Renegade options. No one said being Paragon was easy. At some point I'm sure the Warden will be forced into an ME3-style ending where there are no "good" options, but I'll still play the character as if they're always trying to find that good ending, no matter how hard it is to achieve. Thelastbrunneng (talk) 17:50, June 12, 2012 (UTC)

If they copy Mass Effect 3's ending, that'll have been the second series they ruined completely. RomeoReject (talk) 06:13, June 13, 2012 (UTC)