Dragon Age Origins: The Worst Fates Companions Can Face

By
Allison Stalberg
Published Apr 9, 2022

Dragon Age: Origins could be merciless to companions depending on the Wardens'

actions and choices throughout the RPG.

Dragon Age: Origins introduced gamers to the world of Thedas through a plot
centered on the Blight and the Grey Wardens that fight against it. The cast of
companions met and recruited on the way were part of what made the game so special,
with characters including flirty assassins like Zevran and cynical mysterious
witches like Morrigan. They have their own motivations and opinions which sometimes
force the player to make hard choices.

A lot of the companions can meet tragic and overall negative fates by the end of
Dragon Age: Origins. Sometimes this is through too much disapproval of the Warden
and other times it is because of a single choice the player can make, no matter
what their approval rating was with the character. These tragic fates include a lot
of death.

Alistair And Morrigan

The Landsmeet is what ultimately determines what happens to Alistair, even as far
as his fate in Dragon Age: Inquisition. If the Warden agrees to make Loghain join
the Wardens and Anora is Queen, Anora will call for Alistair's execution. The
player has a chance to talk Anora out of it, making Alistair's fate an exile and a
drunkard, but if they do not, then Alistair will be killed for being her political
rival.

Morrigan is a character that is one of the biggest icons of the series, so she does
not have a death in the game. However, she can have an awful time. Players can
reject her ritual, making her abandon them and run away. Later, players can stab
her and push her through an Eluvian in the DLC, Witch Hunt. It is later revealed
this does not kill her, but it is still a fate none would wish upon themselves.

Zevran And Leliana

Zevran's most tragic fate can happen after the Landsmeet and while traveling
through Denerim. His fellow Antivan Crow, Taliesen, will come to say he is taking
Zevran back to Antiva. If Zevran does not have a high approval with the Warden, he
will betray them and have to be killed permanently. A second way he can die is when
first encountering him, as the player can choose to kill him immediately instead of
letting him speak.

Leliana can be killed by the Warden if they try to defile the ashes of Andraste
with dragon blood. Leliana will become hostile, and the player will have to
permanently kill her. In Dragon Age: Inquisition, she will still be around, but it
is later revealed that she was actually a spirit and the real Leliana is still
dead. This fits into the lore that some spirits take the form of dead people who
felt they had duties left unfinished.

Sten And Wynne

Sten is a companion that meets a tragic fate if he is never taken as a companion at
all. Players meet him in Lothering, and he is caged for killing people. If they do
not complete the quest, The Qunari Prisoner, he will be left in the cage while
Darkspawn attack Lothering. The quest updates, detailing that Sten died when the
Darkspawn took Lothering.

As for Wynne, her most tragic fate can be much like Leliana. She will also attack
the Warden if they destroy the Urn of Sacred Ashes and the player will be forced to
permanently kill her. Another way she can die is in the Circle Tower, if Morrigan
is in the party and the player chooses a certain dialogue path. If a particular
path is chosen, Wynne and her fellow mages will attack the party and have to be
killed.

Shale, Oghren, And The Dog

Shale is a DLC companion who is revealed to have been a dwarf woman turned into a
golem. If Shale is present during the mission to find Paragon Branka, they meet the
golem Caridin who knows Shale and tells her the truth of her identity and that of
all golems. If the Warden decides to side with Branka to use Golems as controlled
weapons, Shale will turn against the player along with Caridin and have to be
permanently killed.

Oghren is one of the few companions that does not really have a tragic ending. His
life is already turned upside down, especially if players choose to kill Branka;
however, he never turns against the Warden for their decisions. He cannot die, and
this is likely why he appeared as a companion in Dragon Age: Awakening. Lastly,
even the Dog (as long as the player is not a Cousland) can have a tragic fate.
Instead of giving the Dog medical attention, the Warden can put the Dog down in
Ostagar.