The Warden
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- This article is about the protagonist in Dragon Age: Origins. For Awakening, see Warden-Commander.
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| Race:
| Human, elf or dwarf
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| Gender:
| Male or female
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| Title:
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| Appearances:
| Dragon Age: Origins
Dragon Age: Awakening Dragon Age II (mentioned only) Dragon Age: Asunder (mentioned) | ||
The Warden is the player-controlled protagonist of Dragon Age: Origins. This character will hail from one of six social classes ranging from casteless dwarf or landless elf to Fereldan noble or even dwarven royalty. After playing through one of these origins, he or she will join the Grey Wardens during the events of Dragon Age: Origins and may even rise to the rank of Warden-Commander in Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening.
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Involvement 
Edit
Dragon Age: Origins Edit
- Main article: Storyline for Dragon Age: Origins
As the origin story is played out, the protagonist is recruited by Duncan, leader of Ferelden's Grey Wardens, to aid King Cailan Theirin and his troops against an incoming army of darkspawn at Ostagar. This is where the main plot of Dragon Age: Origins begins. The Warden's primary mission is to gather an army and defeat a Blight; however, political tensions, disruptions and numerous other distractions (and inspirations) are bound to cross our hero's path.
The actions and words of the Warden are always chosen by the player, and have a wide range of outcomes (both for the story's end and for the fates of the Warden's allies, enemies and rivals). Unlike many other RPGs, the cumulative result of these choices is not tracked by a single meter or bar; rather, each companion has a meter reflecting that individual's reactions to the Warden's decisions.
Dragon Age: Origins - AwakeningEdit
Six months after the conclusion of Origins, the Warden can return. They are now a Warden-Commander and have been given Vigil's Keep for the Wardens.
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| “I do not seek to rule my brethren. I only seek to release them from their chains.” — The Architect This article contains spoilers for Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening. Click here to reveal them. |
Witch Hunt Edit
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| “Phew! Am I bleeding? Oh look, a rip in my robe.” — Finn This article contains spoilers for Witch Hunt. Click here to reveal them. |
The Warden's adventures in the Origins saga are concluded in the final DLC for the series, Witch Hunt. Searching for former companion Morrigan, the Warden also seeks clues regarding an Eluvian - a mirror with the power of transportation to a dimension beyond both Thedas and the Fade.
The Warden finds the Eluvian and Morrigan in the Dragonbone Wastes. The final choices (perhaps limited by the imported save) are:
- The Warden stabs Morrigan. Although the attack looks deadly, Morrigan falls into the portal, and it is deliberately unclear whether she survives. The Warden recovers some items from her camp, and departs.
- The Warden is in love with her, or is good friends with her, and wants her to stay. Regardless, she will go through the portal, with or without the Warden. The Warden is not willing to go with her, or Morrigan refuses to accept that s/he would abandon and be forever cut off from the known world. The Warden then recovers the items from her camp and leaves the Wastes with Ariane, Finn, and Dog.
- The Warden wants to go with her, presumably out of love and/or a desire to know his child. (This ending is only possible with a male Warden.) Morrigan shares a kiss with him and they enter the portal, leaving everything and everyone (besides, if applicable, their son) behind.
Dragon Age II Edit
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| “There are men who embrace destiny; these are the ones that change the world forever.” — Flemeth This article contains spoilers for Dragon Age II. Click here to reveal them. |
The Warden is first mentioned during the prologue, when Varric tells Cassandra Pentaghast how Flemeth helped Hawke's family travel safely to Gwaren in order to escape the Fifth Blight. The Seeker expresses incredulity at the involvement of the Witch of the Wilds, but Varric reminds her of Flemeth's role in the Warden's story and she concedes the point. He speaks briefly of the Warden again in the transition from the prologue to Act 1.
In Act 1, when Hawke first meets Bodahn Feddic, he/she can inquire with him about the fact that he is personally acquainted with the Warden. Bodahn's comments about the Warden will vary depending on the details of the imported save of Origins or the pre-set background being used.
In Act 3, Alistair makes an appearance at Viscount's Keep during the quest "King Alistair," if the player imported a save or selected the pre-set background in which Alistair was made King of Ferelden. Toward the conclusion of this minor quest, the Warden may be mentioned in dialogue between Alistair and Bann Teagan. Exactly how the Warden comes up in conversation varies depending on the circumstances of the saved file or pre-set background; if the Warden is female and was romantically involved with or married to Alistair at the end of Origins, the dialogue will indicate as much.
Regardless of the ending in Witch Hunt, by the time of the conclusion of Dragon Age II, the Warden has disappeared without a trace. This is reported by Leliana in 9:40 Dragon, who is at that point searching for the Warden on behalf of the Chantry (much as Cassandra Pentaghast seeks Hawke in an effort to gain assistance in stopping the Mage-Templar War). Leliana also says that it is no accident that both the Warden and the Champion disappeared... linking them to some future fate. Character creation Edit
The player begins by selecting a gender, race (human, elf or dwarf), and class (warrior, rogue or mage); the mage class is unavailable to dwarves. The next step is to select the character's background; depending on the chosen race/class combination, only one or two of the six backgrounds will be available. These are Human Noble for human warriors and rogues, Dalish Elf or City Elf for elven warriors and rogues, and Dwarf Commoner or Dwarf Noble for all dwarves; elven and human mages invariably share the same origin.
Then comes the option to customize name, physical features (only above the shoulders) and portrait, and choose a voice set. Attributes and skills are selected next. If playing as a warrior or rogue, talents are selected; mages select spells instead. Finally, the player selects his or her preferred difficulty level and the story begins.
First name Edit
A default name is offered according to the origin and gender, but this can be changed to whatever the player chooses (with a limitation on length [confirmation needed] ).
Note: No one will call the Warden by name, but it does show up in some dialogue choices.
- Male
- Human Noble: Aedan
- Human Mage: Daylen
- Elf Mage: Alim
- City Elf: Darrian
- Dalish Elf: Theron
- Dwarf Noble: Duran
- Dwarf Commoner: Faren
- Female
- Human Noble: Elissa
- Human Mage: Solona
- Elf Mage: Neria
- City Elf: Kallian
- Dalish Elf: Lyna
- Dwarf Noble: Sereda
- Dwarf Commoner: Natia
Last name Edit
While the player can select the first name of the character freely, each origin imposes a fixed surname:
- Human Noble: Cousland
- Human Mage: Amell
- Elf Mage: Surana
- City Elf: Tabris
- Dalish Elf: Mahariel
- Dwarf Noble: Aeducan
- Dwarf Commoner: Brosca
Note that six origins have been mentioned, but seven names are listed; this is because both human and elf mages follow the same origin story in the Circle Tower.
Starting abilities Edit
Each character has automatically 'spent' two skill points and one spell or talent point. During character creation the player spends one more skill point and two more spell/talent points. The automatic levels depend on class and origin. On the Xbox 360, the Warden gets one additional rank in Combat Training.
Level Edit
As is typical for role-playing games, a character's level indicates the progress of the character's career and personal power. When the character "levels up", certain things are automatically increased (health and stamina/mana), while other things (talents and attributes) must be manually increased, unless Autolevel is activated. There is a "hard" level cap of 25 in Origins. Since enemies do not re-spawn, there is only enough content in the game (including DLC) to complete it between levels 17 and 24 (depending on how many side quests and Codex entries are completed). A well-used rogue can gain the party significant experience over the course of their adventures by picking locks and disarming traps. In any case, level 25 can be reached by donating profusely to the Allied Supply Crates in the Camp.
In Awakening, the level cap is raised to 35; this increase also affects The Golems of Amgarrak and Witch Hunt DLC.
Equipment Edit
Player characters have the following equipment slots:
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Warden-restricted itemsEdit
Dragon Age: Origins
Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening
Quotes Edit
- See also: The Warden/Voice Sets
- (After the Warden wins the Landsmeet) "Hah, you lose!"
- (To Knight-Commander Greagoir) "Don't you feel guilty about wanting to slaughter everything?"
- Morrigan: "'Tis cold in my tent, all alone..."
- Warden: "Then get a thicker blanket."
- Leliana: "I think I'll retire to my tent."
- Warden: "I think I'll stay up and write in my journal."
(To Isabela)
- Warden: "She bites too."
- Leliana: "I do not!"
- Sten: "Interesting strategy. Tell me: Do you intend to keep going north until it becomes south, and attack the archdemon from the rear?"
- Warden: "It'll never see this coming."
- Warden: "A Chanter says, 'What?'"
- Chanter Devons: "What?"
- Child: "Oh, you got him to speak!"
- Chanter Devons: "Err... what hath man's sin wrought?"
- Child: "Oh, he cheated!"
- Warden: "You're sort of a ruthless bitch."
- Queen Anora: "I prefer to think of it as having staunch determination. Was there a point you wanted to make?"
- Warden: "No, I just wanted to say it."
- Leliana: "The stars are out."
- Warden: "So? Go help Alistair make supper."
(During Oghren the Family Man)
- Oghren: "All I'm good at is killing things."
- Warden: "He's right. He is good at killing things."
- Warden: "They will bow before my might."
- Guard: "Eh, Then it's good to have you sir."
EtymologyEdit
The following are references or speculations regarding the default names given to The Warden:
- Aedan was the name of a 6th-century king of Scotland. The Ancient Irish equivalent is Aodhan, a form of Aodh, which means "fire" (and is the name of a fiery axe in Origins).
- Daylen is an English name meaning "lives in the valley".
- Alim is Arabic for "learned" or "wise".
- Darrian may be derived from Darren, a form of Darrell, from the Norman French d'Arielle ("from Arielle" in France).
- Theron is Greek for "hunter", which suits many Dalish quite well.
- Duran is a name of English and French origin meaning "firm" or "enduring".
- Faren is a name of English origin meaning "adventurous".
- Elissa is derived from Elizabeth, meaning "my god is an oath" or "my god is abundance".
- Solona is a feminine variant of the masculine name Solon, which is Ancient Greek for "wisdom" and became a byword for "lawmaker".
- Neria is a form of Neriah, Biblical Hebrew meaning "Lamp of Yahweh".
- Lyna is derived from Carolina ("joy" or "song of happiness", as well as a feminine form of Charles ("strong"), in various European languages).
- Sereda may be a form of Serena ("clear", "tranquil", "serene").
- Natia is the Polish form of Nadja (from a Russian diminutive of Nadezhda), which means "hope".
- Kallian may be a form of the Hawaiian names "Kalia" (a tree native to Hawaii) or "Kalea" ("joy" or "happiness").
Trivia Edit
- According to certain Circle apprentices, the Warden once bedded a lady pirate and three greased nugs.
- Hawke is related to the human Warden (actual or 'potential') from the Mage Origin through their mothers, who are both from the Amell family. This Warden's mother's name is Revka, according to Leandra in Dragon Age II.[1]
- The nobles (human and dwarf) are the only Wardens to have their surnames (or indeed, any name) spoken by Origins NPCs; the rest are addressed at the most (as "Grey Warden", "Warden" and/or "my Lord/Lady").
- A Dalish Warden imported into Dragon Age II will be referred to by Merrill and her clan as "Mahariel".
Alternate endings for other origins Edit
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| “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. |
The "potential Wardens" - characters fitting the basic structure of each origin not selected by the player - at least hypothetically exist in any given playthrough, filling less significant (and usually less fortunate) roles. Their existence is hinted at or made plain in dialogue with various NPCs. This indicates that it is Duncan's intervention (and/or the player's 'decision' to join him) that redeems an otherwise bleak or ignominious fate.
- Human Noble: Slain during Howe's massacre of Highever, or escaped through the secret passage in the cellar; even if surviving the early days of the Blight, s/he seems to play no significant role in the Landsmeet, for instance.
- Dwarven Noble: The second child of King Endrin is exiled to the Deep Roads and never heard from again. Never meeting Duncan's expedition, it is likely the prince(ss) dies there (or a terribly slim chance that s/he reaches the Legion of the Dead and effectively gives up her/his former identity anyway). According to Lord Harrowmont, Endrin on his deathbed regrets his child's fate.
- Dwarven Commoner: According to Leske, his friend (a corpse in an adjacent cell) stopped eating ("for a stupid bet") and starved to death in Beraht's prison.
- Dalish Elf: According to Ariane, he or she becomes deathly ill from coming into contact with an arcane mirror. Without Duncan's aid and the Joining ritual, s/he dies soon after of the darkspawn taint. This is also hinted at in Dragon Age II by Merrill.
- City Elf: Lacking Duncan's contribution, s/he fails to reach Vaughan. Soris is arrested and his cousin is presumably executed. Shianni is later released when Vaughan is arrested by Howe's men. Or perhaps the 'potential' took Vaughan's bribe and successfully fled or hid, leaving Soris alone to take the blame. It is also jokingly suggested in ambient dialogue during Rescue the Queen that Soris and his cousin were cooked and eaten after capture.
- Circle Mage: No mention is made of the Circle Mage - though it is probable s/he survived the Harrowing, as Jowan still needs help escaping the Circle before he ends up in Redcliffe. Without Duncan to invoke the Right of Conscription (or without the assent of his prospective recruit), it is most likely that this mage was punished for helping Jowan (possibly imprisoned) and/or died on either side of Uldred's rebellion. It is unclear whether "the mage of the unchosen race" exists in the Circle at the same time as a player's chosen mage who becomes The Warden. However, since the origin 'templates' are identical, it is probable that there is only one 'potential' Origins Mage Warden.
Gallery Edit
