Favorite and least favorite background--and why?

fable · Post by **fable** » Sat Nov 07, 2009 9:48 am

This, of course, assumes you've tried more than one of the backgrounds. If so, which one did you like best? Which impressed you the least? Why?

Ragin Cajun · Post by **Ragin Cajun** » Sat Nov 07, 2009 12:07 pm

I really liked the human noble. The turncoat friend attacking the castle; having to abandon your parents, seeing your nephew die. This one had a lot of stuff going on in it.

Least fave so far is the dwarf with no clan. Sisters a whore, you're at the slum lords whim. Probably didn't help that both characters were rogues (mine and the NPC you get paired up with early on).

swcarter · Post by **swcarter** » Sat Nov 07, 2009 11:37 pm

I've played three backgrounds now, and so far my favorite is the Human Noble as well. It felt like a chapter out of a George R.R. Martin book. I didn't think the City Elf origin worked out very well with a female character.

SWC

GoldDragon · Post by **GoldDragon** » Sun Nov 08, 2009 11:01 pm

I've only played as an Elf Mage (female). Not too bad, but as I've only played one, my opinion is highly skewed.

From what I read of City Elf, playing female, well..... Prostitute you might not be, but you do start in what would amount to the "poor Quarter"....

Ragin Cajun · Post by **Ragin Cajun** » Mon Nov 09, 2009 7:57 am

I did the dwarf without the clan and it was ok. Being that his sister was a prostitute, I wonder if that would be you as a female dwarf or if it would still be "your sister".

Elevoros · Post by **Elevoros** » Mon Nov 09, 2009 7:58 am

yeah well...let's face it! Nobody want's to be a slumdog during his escape in a digital fantasy world! The "noble" backgrounds hold an unfair advantage!

stanolis · Post by **stanolis** » Wed Nov 11, 2009 1:17 pm

elevoros: i probably is the best, but to be fair, i only usually play ranged human characters no matter the races included and the developers only allowed rogues and warrior the noble origin. i would have gladly tried orphan.

i haven't finished my first run through yet, but my next will probably be male elven mage. this is purely to get other endings for my 360 achievements.

btw, i am not a speciesist or anything, i just never wanted to be an elf or dwarf; a half elf - maybe....just maybe.

Ragin Cajun · Post by **Ragin Cajun** » Wed Nov 11, 2009 8:41 pm

OK. Did up a dwarf noble today just to do all the start stories. By far the best one in my opinion. Really enjoyed the storyline on it.

Xandax · Post by **Xandax** » Thu Nov 12, 2009 5:43 am

I actually like all of the backgrounds (played them all - as male), and I do think they're rather well written, with some nice plot twists. Some obvious, but others well hidden and surprising.

My favorite seems to be the Daelish Elf - despite I never really liked elves in the other settings.
The human noble has a terrific ending I think and parts of it did surprise me a lot, as did the dwarf noble. I just can't get myself to play dwarf yet.

The Magi was the most boring and obvious in my opinion - and would properly be my least favorite if I were to pick one, but I still think the last third of it was very decent.

Revi · Post by **Revi** » Thu Nov 12, 2009 5:59 am

Elevoros wrote:yeah well...let's face it! Nobody want's to be a slumdog during his escape in a digital fantasy world! The "noble" backgrounds hold an unfair advantage!

I agree, in all the Pen & Paper D&D I've done everyone always wants to be noble, myself included.

On that note I think I find the Dwarf Female Noble background the most amazing. I didn't finish it completely, but I played up to the point where you're dumped in the Deep Roads, so I saw enough of it to judge it, I think.

What I find amazing about this background is the sense of impending doom that hangs over it. Almost from the outset you know that your position as a princess is one of great power, but also of great risk. You feel instinctively that it is not going to last. Everything you say or do can be used against you. Do you take the dagger from the merchant? Do you support the legitimazation of topside dwarves? One wrong word and you've sided with someone you shouldn't have sided with.

You can't just trample through that origin story thinking "I'll pick the lawful good option for every choice."

Ragin Cajun · Post by **Ragin Cajun** » Thu Nov 12, 2009 6:23 am

I agree Revi. That storyline (dwarf noble) really gives some good insight into the dwarf lifestyle and the intrigue always going on that we've read about but probably never really understood.

Cyro · Post by **Cyro** » Thu Nov 12, 2009 7:07 am

Having just played the last of all the origins I have to say there are no "bad" ones.

My favourite two have to be the Nobles origins, Human and Dwarven. In many ways I find the dwarven origin better for the sheer depth of intrigue and politiking that goes on, but both havig similar themes, being born into wealth and privilage, that advantages is used to train you well and them have it all lost except your skills and are plunged into a battle with an ancient evil to survive the betrayal of your own people.

That said I find that the human origin fits in best with the rest of the game, perhaps it's just me, but the games setting and "feel" seem to have a strong human warrior bias.

I do have to agree with Xandax, the magi route is the most predictable and I don't really have any desire to play through it again, not that it wasn't enjoyable, but I don't think it has much replay value in it (but at least mages are fun to play.) Likewise, the dwarven commoner route is quite bland in comparison to some of the others.

Both of the elven origins where enjoyable enough, but were still quite straight forward.

In short, IMO it goes:

Human Noble.
Dwarf Noble.
City Elf.
Dalish Elf.
Dwarven Commoner.
Magi.

fable · Post by **fable** » Thu Nov 12, 2009 8:22 am

Xandax wrote:The Magi was the most boring and obvious in my opinion - and would properly be my least favorite if I were to pick one, but I still think the last third of it was very decent.

I'd agree, it was boring, simplistic and predictable. Not to mention putting

Spoiler

the plotters against the Circle in the room next to the head of the Circle, presumably to save travel time, was a typically condescending "the 12 year olds won't notice it" Bioware decision

. I'll definitely be trying a couple of the others.

Aqua-chan · Post by **Aqua-chan** » Thu Nov 12, 2009 10:01 am

I've played Human Noble and City Elf, both as female. Gotta say that I saw the big plot point of Human Noble coming long before we got there, but I prefer it of the two.

City Elf was just a bit too over the top with the evil nobles and oppressed, defenseless women being taken advantage of, but I guess the point was to emphasize how abused elves are in human cities. I suppose. One thing I did like was that I could try to pick a fight with Duncan; that conversation was well done.

GoldDragon · Post by **GoldDragon** » Thu Nov 12, 2009 3:51 pm

I enjoyed the Magi Origin, and played it thru so that I finished in a way that was barely hinted at in the walkthru.

Let's just say that I was sent with Duncan for my safety.

Next char should be Human Noble, but I wonder....

Why didn't Bioware add in a Human Commoner, like they did with the other races? Or was the Magi Origin supposed to be played as human, as seems to be himted at by all the codex entries there?

swcarter · Post by **swcarter** » Thu Nov 12, 2009 4:49 pm

I've played all six now. I liked the two noble origins the best, then City Elf, Dwarf Commoner, and Magi somewhere in the middle, and then Dalish Elf on the bottom by a mile. For me, the Dalish Elf sequence was boring and linear, with almost no opportunities for role-playing. It's also the only origin where you're not given any sort of mortal enemy.

SWC

galraen · Post by **galraen** » Wed May 19, 2010 10:44 am

I've played through them all now, although I haven't finished the game yet.

Favourite is as a Dwarven ones, and I actually prefer the Rogue Commoner over the Noble Warrior.

Least favourite is the Human one. For a start no human rogue origin! Just one Noble one, and frankly that sucked. No way in Hades do I forsake my birth obligations when as far as I know I'm the sole survivor in my family. Especially when my father recently murdered father expressly opposed it, and I have grave suspicions about Duncan's involvement in happenings at the castle.

Ragin Cajun · Post by **Ragin Cajun** » Wed May 19, 2010 12:08 pm

galraen wrote:I've played through them all now, although I haven't finished the game yet.

Favourite is as a Dwarven ones, and I actually prefer the Rogue Commoner over the Noble Warrior.

Least favourite is the Human one. For a start no human rogue origin! Just one Noble one, and frankly that sucked. No way in Hades do I forsake my birth obligations when as far as I know I'm the sole survivor in my family. Especially when my father recently murdered father expressly opposed it, and I have grave suspicions about Duncan's involvement in happenings at the castle.

Wow..you think Duncan planned that? Wow..that's a plot twister.

dragon wench · Post by **dragon wench** » Wed May 19, 2010 12:46 pm

favourite to least favourite

1. Both Dwarven
2. Dalish Elf & Mage
3. Human Noble
4. City Elf

I thought both dwarven beginnings were extremely well done. Truth be told, if you look at the design of Orzammar and the intricacy of the origins quests you get the sense that the devs sort of blew their brains out in this section.

In my view, both the City Elf and Human Noble stories were unbelievably lacklustre and clichéd beyond belief.
I really like DAO, it's probably the best game I've played since PS:T/BG2. But, there were areas that could have used definite improvement. These are two examples.

Loki[D.d.G] · Post by **Loki[D.d.G]** » Wed May 19, 2010 2:18 pm

I liked the Magi and Dalish Elf origins most of all. The former got me due to its excellent portrayal of the prejudice that all mages faced, i.e. it set the stage for the main plot brilliantly. The latter gets my vote for being the most intriguing of the lot... but that could be because it was the first ever origin I played

Least favorite has definitely got to be Human Noble. Getting stabbed in the back by both Arl Howe and Loghain in the space of a few hours and having your brother conveniently reappear at the very end took the glamor out of being one of the most powerful nobles in Ferelden. Still, I did find myself keeping the Family Blade till the final encounter with Howe so I could drive it into his skull personally. Revenge is sweet