Favorite Origin?

One of the best parts about DAO is being able to play your origin, it helps you really connect to your character and see what their life was like before the big story.

Is there a certain origin that you always choose/one that you like?

For me, it's the Circle Mage origin. I've always been fond of mages in media, and magic is one of my favorite fantasy elements. So no shock I picked Amell on my very first playthrough.

I also find the Circle fascinating and love potential for amazing development and characterization wrt growing up in that environment. I have a soft spot for Circle mages and they've become my favorite DA characters to write.

In terms of the story of the origin, my favorite is the dwarf noble. It really gives you a great introduction to the themes of the game from fighting to political machinations as well as dwarven society. The fact that it can go so differently depending on your character's personality (like whether you choose to trust Bhelen and fight Trian or if you don't) is also great.

In terms of setting up for a satisfying playthrough, my favorite is human noble. It gives you the best introduction to Ferelden society (and I do love Dog Land) and there are few things in the game more satisfying than killing Howe as a Cousland. I also like being able to marry Alistair and become queen lol.

Finally in terms of making the whole series feel satisfying, I love the Dalish origin, especially with the Dalish mage mod. My canon Hero of Ferelden is a Mahariel and I love how that origin ends up connecting to the Witch Hunt DLC and to DA2 with Merrill. Plus I just love the Dalish and getting to learn about them from an insider perspective makes the whole game feel different to me.

So... yeah. Those are my top three haha. Overall fave is definitely dwarf noble though.

I think my favorite origin will always be the City Elf origin. It was the first one I played so there's a bit of nostalgia attached to it, but I'm also a sucker for underdogs who rise up (the Dwarf Commoner origin is also very good at this, and the Mage origin to some extent).

Now, I mostly play mages, so I have probably played the Mage origin the most. It's also one that ties into the subsequent games a lot more than the others (except for the Dalish origin) which makes it more rewarding imo.

This question reminds me I'd once planned to make a post on Tumblr detailing the pros and cons of each origin. A "What origin should I play guide" if you will. But then I got lazy. RIP.

CocotteJenn wrote:

This question reminds me I'd once planned to make a post on Tumblr detailing the pros and cons of each origin. A "What origin should I play guide" if you will. But then I got lazy. RIP.

If you ever do please link it! That would be really great because I know that for some people it can be really overwhelming to have all those choices, especially those who plan to play the series from the beginning.

Cullenvhenan wrote:

If you ever do please link it! That would be really great because I know that for some people it can be really overwhelming to have all those choices, especially those who plan to play the series from the beginning.

No problem! These people are the ones I wished to target when I came up with the idea. I was going to tackle things like immersion, relevance to the plot (in both the game and the overall series), spoilers on replay, potential triggers and then specific tropes (like the underdog story I mentioned). But I haven't played the dwarven origins in a while and I never actually did a full playthrough with a dwarf, so I think that's why I put the idea on hold.

I've played almost all the way through with Brosca and... well I have an Aeducan about to start all the Orzammar quests so I could help with those! The only origins I've completely finished with are the mage one and Cousland though. I kept getting distracted and starting new games lol.

Oooh, thanks a lot @ohhgreywarden! Your help is very appreciated! Have you noticed any particularities while playing a dwarf? I suspect there might be a bit of racism (though probably not as much as for the elves)? And the return to Orzammar must be quite harsh too, especially with Brosca?

There definitely is a bit of racism, although it's more "oh wait you're not a merchant? whoops I've never met a dwarf who wasn't a merchant" than outright malicious. Or just... Cailan calling you "one of the honorable stout folk" in his typical... himbo style of being tactless.

As for the return to Orzammar, I still need to play all the way through it as Aeducan but with Brosca people are definitely resentful about being forced to be respectful toward a casteless duster. The reunion with Rica (Brosca's sister and Bhelen's mistress) is very sweet, though. I played it as very much a "getting to see that you're doing well is enough to make up for all the crap people are giving me for being back in Orzammar" thing.

The most notable thing with the return to Orzammar with Brosca is what happens with Leske, Brosca's friend and temporary companion in the origin. I'll spoiler it.

Spoiler:

I've heard about that spoiler before. I wish there an option to just, not do that.

I suspect the Orzammar questline will also be rather unpleasant for Aeducan considering their story. But it should be interesting to see since it the origin ties so much into the plot.

Honestly I've only ever played some of the other origins once or twice (and honestly i should probably play them again, lol). The one I connect to probably the most is the city elf origin. Being a mixed native person that is estranged from their culture, there's a certain something about the city elves that's really like...relatable in trying to hold onto bits of your culture and reconnect with it a little? It's a pretty sad origin but I just adore Tabris and the fighting spirit that comes with them!