Dragon Age: Origins - Ranking All Six Origins (NO SPOILERS)

[@SpaceVENTING]

Origins really is the best Dragon Age game from a pure role-playing perspective. I love 2 and Inquisition to pieces, I do. But origins takes the throne for me.

[@osirisatot19]

Yeah, Origins really feels like it has the most options and different outcomes depending on your choices.

[@CrazyxEnigma]

The perks of having a silent protagonist.

[@violetbliss4399]

@@CrazyxEnigma Strangely, i think DA2 has one of the very best voiced protagonists in female sarcastic Hawke. It's a game that tried something new but had way too little time in the making, but for that I still appreciate it for the highs that VA work achieved. You're right though, it is just easier to be expansive unvoiced.

[@CrazyxEnigma]

@@violetbliss4399 Hawke was done very well that I agree with. Done so well I would've preferred Hawke returning as protagonist for DAI instead of the new Inquisitor.

[@SlanderedGaming]

I agree with this but I also think playing as sarcastic Hawke in DA2 was a more enjoyable experience than any of the rping opportunities Origins can provide. So overall Origins is better but it doesn't quite reach the high that DA2 can provide.

[@Jasta85]

I started my first character as a mage and their whole prologue section starting in the fade and the conclusion to that section was an amazing first impression of the game, as well as introducing the way magic works in that world.

[@SlanderedGaming]

Yup I agree it's pretty awesome.

[@Rhuowave]

I totally get your ranking and agree for the most part. The one difference for is that city elf is my absolute favorite because while I understand it could be too much for people it was the gut punch that really sold to me that dragon age truly was a different kind of game and dark fantasy beyond having a grimier artstyle. I’ve had few moments in games as cathartic as getting your revenge on the human nobles in that origin.

[@SlanderedGaming]

Oh yeah that's absolutely true. City Elf feels completely different from what I've experienced in other fantasy games.

[@kp64446]

Human noble is such a good one.😭 Was ready to die by that familys side. Loved it!

[@SlanderedGaming]

Yup it's a great emotion pull.

[@Lisey91]

Honestly! When I saw my little nephew and Sil killed I was raging!! Damn Howe! Killing him was so satisfying

[@bonedrone9869]

If you want to do an evil playthrough, or just be an asshole, dwarf noble is SO fun and satisfying.

[@SlanderedGaming]

Absolutely!

[@jizamkizam9611]

My main is a Dwarf commoner. I really like it because not only do you go from a filthy duster to a Paragon but your family benefits as well. Your dead beat mother turns her life around and stops drinking and you hear in Inquisiton that your sister married Bhelen(if you put him on throne) and is now Queen.

[@SlanderedGaming]

Whoa your sister becomes queen?! I didn't know that at all. Super cool!

[@jizamkizam9611]

Indeed, I believe it comes up during the ball if your warden was Brosca and went with Bhelen as king. Also mentions that he had your Paragon statue built in front of the palace because he wants your house to be very respected.

[@jessedeiter5001]

I was fully prepared to come in here and fight for my personal favorite Origin, but you had to go and place it at number 1. Dwarf Noble is absolutely amazing. It has so many layers and endings, each of which have slight variance on different dialogues. I once played it as a member of the great game, where politics and backstabbing were cleverly veiled. To the point where when I returned and spoke with Balin, I basically told him "Good stuff fair game" and he was taken aback by it. Even more so when you support him and help him become King. Truly a great Origin. A master class in complex world building and writing.

[@SlanderedGaming]

😂

[@C0ldFlame2682]

My favorite playthrough of origins I was a human noble duel weild rogue, and when fighting our favorite Arl Tim Curry, I got the critical hit or whatever it is that decapitates people, and it was the most satisfying moment in gaming I've ever had. My personal favorite Origin is the city elf. Even playing as a male character its really impactful, and as I usually play more of a good guy character I always take the full responsibility when the guards show up. Feels like a good sacrifice to set you up for being a grey warden.

[@SlanderedGaming]

Nice yeah playing as a Human Noble made meeting the Arl again really special.

[@nullpexception]

Nice summary, covered things really well without spoilers. Like you, I played all the backgrounds all the way through, and into DA:2 and DA:3 several times. I have to say that DA:O storyline goes the hardest, no matter which origin you pick. My favorite was human noble, but that bias is because it was the first I played and how I was introduced to the series. That bias is hard to replace after the first playthrough. I can't stand where they have taken this series, so I won't play the latest installment myself. I will watch through you and others to get the gist and wistfully dream of what could have been.

[@SlanderedGaming]

Thanks I'm glad you enjoyed the video!

[@osirisatot19]

I actually played through all of them before choosing which one to play through the game with lol. I went with mage and accidentally found all the stuff to make a really OP battle mage.

[@Damongrl15]

I may be super biased but I completely agree with you on the dwarven noble origin. It was my first playthrough and it's so hard for me to see my HoF as anyone but my lady Aeducan. I was already a big fan of dwarves and being introduced to how Thedas handles them was so interesting and really got me invested fast. It also gave me an excuse to ask really silly questions about the Chantry and mages since my aeducan would not really know THAT much about matters topside lol

[@SlanderedGaming]

Yup it's fantastic!

[@DarkKing009]

Top 3 1. Dwarven commoner The ultimate underdog 2. City Elf The roleplay elements especially if you play a woman are so good. 3. Dwarf Noble Probably the best origin story in the game and the branching path of decisions that come back later when you return to that city. Did you kill your older brother? Did you father a child? Those decisions made in the first hour affected my character for the rest of the playthrough.

[@SlanderedGaming]

Agreed City Elf as a woman is so amazing.

[@Connoclear]

I played every origin before choosing which one to play the entire game with. t didn't really matter as I ended up playing the game multiple times with all origins. I do agree with your rankings but my canon is the Dalish Elf origin. I liked the idea of playing the "free" elves and I loved to find out in later games that it's not at all what it seems

[@dylanpullock6972]

Not just your canon. As far as i know, dalish elf dying to kill archdemon and Alistair becoming king is official canon.😅

[@SlanderedGaming]

Yup playing as a Dalish is a great setup for the rest of the series.

[@julianreviews8102]

The thing I love about these origin tier lists is that there’s no definitive community opinion on which ones are the best. Every list I’ve seen is wildly different!

[@SEVENTHSIGHN]

The one thing I loved about Pathfinder Wrath of the Righteous is they basically took the origins system from Dragon age and incoperated it into their game and in a way they vastley expanded on the idea with how it branched out. I have a lot of love and respect for the first Dragon Age as it was the first RPG I loved and at the time my favourite game and it also planted the seeds that turned me into a CRPG nut, so seeing the origins system come back in Wrath of the Righteous' Mythic paths was so amazing. And thats one of the many reasons why currently, Wrath of the Righteous is one of my favourite games of all time.

[@SlanderedGaming]

Yup I agree it's these origins on steroids.

[@michaels2569]

Human noble was my first playthrough so its my second favorite for sentimental reasons but Dwarf noble is imo the best of them all. Complex politics and interesting characters through that origin. Plus the letter you get from right hand man that you meet on the surface(which is voiced by Steve Blum) is quite heartbreaking. One day I wish someone would remake Origins its still one of best fantasy rpgs of all time.

[@holo7178]

I do think the dalish origin has its moments. While it doesn't directly tie into the main quest or anything, it introduces you to the dalish and the weird elven gods. I think it does a good job of setting up their lore for the next 2 games in the series and the origin directly ties into witch hunt and dragon age 2! It's also a pretty sad origin if you choose tamlen's "romance" option as a female dalish elf, and surprisingly it does come up later in the story and is even referenced in witch hunt! Due to that it's probably my favorite because what it lacks in reactivity it makes up for in lore.

[@SlanderedGaming]

Dalish Origin is fantastic for the overall series for sure.

[@lucaszolcsanyi6972]

My favorite is definatly city elf. It just hits you so hard, never have I seen racism portayed better.

[@SlanderedGaming]

City Elf is AMAZING.

[@TheHeroOfFerelden420]

Dwarven Noble Warrior for Origins is my fav, rouge hawk and elven mage inquisitor is my canon great video ❤

[@vladdy8493]

All that cash and early skill book 👍( or is it feat book? It’s been a few years lol)

[@SlanderedGaming]

Thank you!

[@angrynerdgirl]

Same here! Rogue Hawke just made sense to me (Bethany is a mage, Carver is a warrior, so the three of you are a full squad).

[@hardrockmusickid]

My favorite is Circle mage. I love how DA makes being a mage a core part of your identity and the additional dialogue you have just for being mage, so it's really hard for me to play something else. I do agree that another mage origin would've been great. Dalish elf mage sounds so interesting, and I never considered it.

[@SlanderedGaming]

Yeah the Dalish don't like having too many mages in camp so they only allow two. Anymore than that are given food & water then pushed out into the woods to fend for themselves. Interesting setup where you have been abandoned by your people but cannot trust humans either.

[@stevenwoodward5923]

There is a mod that lets you play a Dalish elf mage.

[@curajacaster]

i really liked the dwarf commoner when you sacrifice yourself. your sister speaks at your funeral and ya its all so like full circle if behlen is king

[@SlanderedGaming]

Oh wow I've never seen the sacrifice scene that's amazing.

[@Maelrhin]

My favorite is the circle mage but being an elf, you get hate from every one but i really liked the feel that you can have if you choose the few little option to try to research and learn from the old elven empire (Things like learning magic from the elf phantom becoming an arcane warrior).

[@SlanderedGaming]

Yup that makes sense.

[@SamBrockmann]

I was always a sucker for Mage origin. But, from the perspective of "most impact on the game world", Dwarven noble definitely wins.

[@SlanderedGaming]

They are both awesome. DA does mages so well.

[@SamBrockmann]

@@SlanderedGaming , well, the only thing I don't like about DA:O mages is . . . if you want to be a melee mage, then it's, "THROWN ON THIS HUGE SUIT OF ARMOR". Look, Bioware, I just want to use an axe or sword and not suck at magic, mmmmkay?! I was very happy when DA:I came out with Knight Enchanter, because that's what I'd wanted back in DA:O.

[@milijanpetrovic7228]

My favourite origin is also dwarf noble. Just the benefits the origin gives are simply to great. Having Gorim as merchant where only dwarf noble gets discounts. Potential side quest if dwarf noble sires son with Mardy. If rouge with steal, dwarf noble has advantage to start game with the highest amount of money of all origins. Plus excellent weapon. And there is reactivity and whole plot around Orzammar as dwarf noble is great.

[@SlanderedGaming]

Yup it's a great way to kick off the game.

[@SuperLumianaire]

Human Noble is best. As a warrior, that becomes a templar champion spirit warrior who loves Morrighan.

[@SlanderedGaming]

Nice that sounds like an awesome playthrough!

[@KB-qk1ic]

Origins established lore and better world building than any other game I can think of. Mage and Elves have carried the stories throughout all of the titles.

[@SlanderedGaming]

Yup I agree.

[@BenjCano2020]

I downloaded a mod so that my city elf could play the entire game in her bloodstained wedding dress. Nothing…NOTHING beats telling King Cailin “I joined the Wardens because I killed an Arl’s son for assaulting my friend and killing my betrothed.” Cailin: 😦

[@papervoxels]

My list is almost identical to yours, the main difference is that I don't count the male and female city elf origins together, so male city elf is my bottom of the list origin and female city elf is my top of the list origin 🙂 While I completely agree that dwarf noble is the best origin content wise, female city elf has always been my favorite because it's the best video game protagonist option lol Like, if you were to summarize that origin you would be able to imagine the epic voice guy reading it out for a hype trailer 😂

[@SlanderedGaming]

😂

[@navelwarfare3247]

'WARE YE, SPOILERS WITHIN The fact Dwarf Nobles can't select themselves as king/queen of Orzammar after the Anvil of the Void quest feels criminal

[@SlanderedGaming]

Truly it does. It's interesting that the Awakening DLC mentions the Wardens are using Amaranthine as a testing ground to see if Wardens could also be rulers. That could open the door to you reclaiming your rightful place in Orzammar.

[@oskarsosinski6375]

@@SlanderedGaming To be fair, as Oghren summed up in Awakening, dwarfs have a long stick called "tradition" showed up their arses, a banished 'kinslayer' whose name was struck down from official records would never be allowed to be king, unless you want a huge civil war that would make Bhelen vs Harrowmont dispute look like friendly debate. Also I think wardens are apolitical for a reason, they would 100% focus on politics instead of fighting blight if they started being kings and lords.

[@angrynerdgirl]

Thissss. But even moreso, I was gobsmacked when my dwarf noble made Alistair king and he turned around and dumped her, bc he could only be with a royal. I was like "excuse me, I am way more prepared for this than you are, doofus, now queen me."

[@Lisey91]

@@oskarsosinski6375I get that, but i think having a bit more dialogue with Bhelen about how he fucking betrayed you, get you almost killed and made it so that your father died without knowing you were alive and innocent was criminal. The cheek to ask for my help after all of that! Plus, the realisation that if they gray warden didn’t found my female dwarven she could have become a broodmother really sour any sympathy I could have had for that piece of work!! The only reason I still made him king is because he is politically a better choice and for my character nephew..

[@LattWest]

female city elf is my personal favorite. The uno reverse card of fucking up someones life

[@SlanderedGaming]

😂

[@stevenwoodward5923]

Mine also

[@vladdy8493]

Damn slandered that’s some timing you have. I haven’t played origins in a few years and I’ve literally not long downloaded it as I’m running through all 3 (hopefully) before veilguard drops. Came on to check up on some builds and seen this had not long dropped, I used to always go dwarf noble for the money and early skill book lol

[@SlanderedGaming]

Nice! Hopefully this video helped you!

[@osirisatot19]

Oh man you are cutting it close. You'll have to grind hard to get through all three before Veilguard. I was going to do the same but I decided I should probably try and actually beat Balder's Gate 3 before Dragon Age comes out.

[@CyberneticWolff]

God when i did human noble, it felt so sad when you end the forst part, but when you see the guy (can't say if you didnt do The Gauntlet, but will not explain) and saying "yes, i wish i fell with them) felt so emotional, cause i loved the teynn, so yeah my pov

[@follypersist]

My favorite origin is dalish mage! The mod for it in nexus works well, and I constantly forget that it's even a mod, because it's my "canon" playthrough of DAO. The unique perspective you end up getting on everything in the world, from being an elf outside of human society, and a mage outside of the way society treats mages, makes for a rich playthrough even if the game doesn't have specific reactivity for it.

[@SlanderedGaming]

Oh wow I didn't know there was a mod for that! Awesome!

[@TheAzureGhost]

played the game several times , atleast once per origin, but the one that i remember the most is the blood drenched cityelf after she slaughtered her way out of that scenario.

[@SlanderedGaming]

Man just an incredible scene.

[@patrickhickey4047]

In the Dalish origin you are exposed to blight. You live, which not everyone does... but you're not well. This explains why you would join the Gray Wardens, and why you wouldn't flee from the initiation ceremony- the Gray Wardens are your last chance to survive. It also explains why your character is sort of learning and meeting the world for the first time during the story. Your character is from the middle of nowhere and is meeting the world at the same time as the player. And in the finale, it also gives an extra push to a certain ending. If you're terminally ill anyways...

[@mjolnircarlssen4211]

Love this video. I didn’t connect with DAO back when it came out, but I decided to try it again just last month. It is solidly one of my favorite games that I’ve ever played.

[@SlanderedGaming]

Awesome glad to hear it!

[@crimsonmememaster4382]

Really happy to see you doing Dragon age content! Might we see a ranking of the class specs for origins in the near future?

[@SlanderedGaming]

Oh I hadn't thought about that. Sure why not. :)

[@badrhetoric5637]

1. Dwarf Noble 2. Human Noble 3. Elf commoner (it goes hard) 4. Mage

[@SlanderedGaming]

City Elf goes super hard for sure.

[@badrhetoric5637]

@@SlanderedGaming I respect how hard it goes

[@malik2978]

City Elf is always my go to in Organs. Especially while romancing Morrigan that dynamic makes the character story so GOOD!

[@SlanderedGaming]

Interesting why does romancing Morrigan make it more special?

[@jarrenraves]

human noble was my favourite, I loved both the initial scene and how many bits of reactivity were compressed into it and just how closely it connects you to the most important main story beats (a lack of which was my gripe with mage origin, which I did first). Female elf commoner was 100% the most memorable though. The moment you brought it up, I immediately had a flashback of one particular scene eventhough its been soooo many years now since I played

[@SlanderedGaming]

Yup it really adds layers to the main story.

[@RainbowFuzz]

My top two are dwarf noble and dwarf commoner (aka casteless). I honestly loved the dwarven politics and culture stuff, and wish we could have gone more into it in the newer games.

[@jereboy2005]

It's videos and conversations like these that make me wish and yearn that all dragon age games had playable origins. We are at least taking a step back in that direction with veilguard but still ultimately disappointed we don't get to actually play those origins. My favorite origin is mage. I love how it gives you a good introduction to the way magic and the fade is viewed in this setting. Which was drastically different from other fantasy I was used to.

[@SlanderedGaming]

I'd love to see another game period that did Origins similar to this one. It adds so much replayability.

[@novia8309]

Think one of the strongest point for all these origins, is that no matter where you list em in preference, they all add to the overall experience of the setting, and provide a unique understanding of the various people, cultures, histories, beliefs, and how it all translates into the world that is Thedas. There really is no option that makes it seem phoned in for the world in which it is based, which is something I feel many stories miss, and is a core reason I think Origins is valued so highly compared to the rest of the franchise, despite each entry's own appeals. Take the Dwarves for instance, each of the origins firmly displays the highs and lows of Orzammar's strict if regressive culture, and yet if you look into the finer details, you can start to see how such a society came to be in the first place, and perhaps most importantly: why they cling so tightly to it, no matter how much pain and suffering it causes them. They are literally fighting a forever war that the rest of the world barely remembers exists by the time of the game, and have sacrificed so much externally and internally, that the glories of the old empire are little more than faded memories in rock, small comfort to the nobility/warriors who lead the surviving people, but virtually meaningless to those who toil or in the case of the casteless... those who suffer, and lends therefore to the sheer mental hoops all involved go through to justify the state of things, especially when it comes to those that flee to the surface. Later entries only ever show us the dwarven surfacer perspective, and it is profoundly ignorant of the true nature of the beast that is Orzammar if you're familiar with what Origins introduced, which in itself is actually a net positive, yet at the same time feels unintentional since it tends to be phrased in a way that we almost seem required to agree with, but that might just be me reading into it too much. Either way that's enough rambling from me. Origins was a hell of a way to start the franchise, and the origins themselves reflect this, richly detailing both the world and characters before funneling them all to the same point in the story is no small feat to make seamless, more difficult when spread out across so many choices. I wouldn't call it a gold standard as it's far from flawless, but it's a good point of reference for future games.

[@SlanderedGaming]

Exactly there's really not a bad choice.

[@MrRevolutionMars]

Dwar commoner, human noble, city elf, dwarf noble, elf mage, dalish elf

[@MrRevolutionMars]

Best origins

[@alexsamurai1230]

almost exactly the same as mine, except I'd drop mage down to 5th. I think there are broadly 2 tiers with dwarf commoner, mage, dalish noticably weaker than the other 3. Its interesting to compare them all like this because it gives a sense on what the 'correct' note is for the prologue to hit. For me, what the stronger origins have in common is that they do the best job of creating a sense of a tragic fall; you are young, free and have the world at your feet, but due to evil that you can't control you are condemned to the wardens as a sort of life sentence - you lose everything. The mage and dwarf commoner on the other hand your life is already pretty grim, the wardens is presented more as an exciting adventure, which I feel is much less effective in creating dramatic pathos.

[@SlanderedGaming]

Interesting I didn't look at it that way but yeah you have a point.

[@darkangelprincess101]

My l absolutely favorite is dalish. But playing as a dwarf nobility in the beginning is super fun

[@FrostyThundertrod]

Might be a bit of sore subject but detailing what carried over from 1 to 2 to inquisition can be a interesting contrast

[@SlanderedGaming]

After playing Veilguard I plan to do a video regarding which choices matter the most in the series overall.

[@stephenlewis6922]

All the Origins are good but Dwarven Noble is best. It feels so good to return to Orzammar.

[@SlanderedGaming]

Yup I agree!

[@osirisatot19]

From worst to best for me is: Dwarf Commoner, City Elf, Human Noble (would probably be dead last if it wasn't intentionally generic and have a lot of cool plot threads later in the game), Dalish Elf, Circle Mage, Dwarf Noble. Also so much credit to this game for putting so much time and effort into six different stories that a lot of people only experienced one of; studios are just so afraid of doing stuff like that today. Also if they would have given you the option to be a Dalish mage, your start would really not introduce the main struggle of the mage/Circle power balance or the idea of blood mages without making the two starts pretty similar anyways. I do agree that the City Elf origin is fucked up, that's why I have it so low; it is important for world building, but I think you can get a pretty good understanding of how fucked up the City Elf lifestyle is just on any play through. Dwarf Noble is like a whole season of Game of Thrones, I love that they put that in there since they were partially inspired by the Song of Ice And Fire books.

[@SlanderedGaming]

Yup DN feels ripped straight of the GoT books.

[@marvinp90]

My top 2 were human noble and city elf (especially as you said the female one). The noble had the more personnel conextion to one of the main villans (played by Tim Curry) and the female city elf was so visceral it made me empathize so much more with the elves and feel angry about the discremenation throughout the game. I also agree about the Dalish elf background. Before DA2 it wasn't very exciting but after DA2 it was so much better especially with one of my favs Merrill

[@eastbow6053]

who would have thought playing a female city elf that takes a sword and kills her would be r..pist would be one of the best origins in a game, kinda makes you think that gamers want to play as tragic characters and not coddled by developers in safe spaces

[@SlanderedGaming]

Yup the Dalish background fleshes out Merrill a lot more.

[@rygo666]

They are all amazing for sure and it absolutely comes down to preference. I agree with you about the no 1 pick though. Dwarf noble is also my favourite and its amazing coming back to Orzamar later and figuring out how to deal with your family. But I am a "rock and stone" kinda guy who hates leaf lovers so...😅

[@SlanderedGaming]

😂

[@othergrimm6592]

Personally, I’d put both elf backgrounds and Magi in the bottom half. Not sure about exact placements, but I think the Dwarf origins and Human Noble are more fun to play as. But I do agree, all of them are good.

[@SlanderedGaming]

The Dwarf options are really hard to turn down.

[@ImnotMattMurdock]

I alwaya go back to Origins to do a different background, but always end up doing human noble to play the hero's journey from brash young fighter, to seasoned Grey Warden and leader. Can't resist that shit lol

[@Yodalemos]

I played every origins except the Dwarven ones because then I'd have to be a dwarf.

[@happyjonn9242]

Definitely agree that Dalish is last. But like you said, much more important in later games.

[@SlanderedGaming]

It was actually surprising to go back and see how much of that story tied in with Merrill. I think Bioware realized it lacked meaningfullness in Origins.

[@kismetkiwi9720]

Dalish Elf does have some call back in the Witch Hunt (Origins) DLC

[@SlanderedGaming]

What do they get?

[@CrazyxEnigma]

Dwarf Noble is the best hands down. After that Dwarf Commoner and Human Noble, then City Elf with Mage and Dalish Elf at the bottom for me. Nothing else has yet managed to match what Bioware succeeded at with Origins well origins, Larian plays with a somewhat similar system in DOS2 and BG3 but its very different and not really comparable imo. I remember the marketing for Cyberpunk 2077 evoked DAO for their hyping up the backgrounds and it didn't live up to that at all😭 I know it's far from easy to implement especially to a consistent quality across them all which even DAO doesn't quite manage some origins are more equal then others but I still hope one day it'll be iterated on by somebody at some point in the future.

[@SlanderedGaming]

I would love to see another game gives Origins a try!

[@blob22201]

Weirdly enough the game that comes closest is an MMO- Star Wars the Old Republic has 8 unique class stories that are each as long as most games' main story.

[@robcampion9917]

My fav origin is human noble and I also like playing as a human mage as they are related to Hawke.

[@SlanderedGaming]

Oh wow I forgot about that.

[@robcampion9917]

@@SlanderedGaming If I play a human mage in Origins I make my Hawke a mage too for the cool factor of having two mage heroes coming from the same family.

[@damiang1442]

I played all prologues but I did a full playthrough only twice. Funnily enough i chose your two top picks: mage and dwarf noble.

[@SlanderedGaming]

Nice! I hope you enjoyed them.

[@Russman67]

City elf. All of the carnage you do to everyone in Fereldan is justified after that origin story

[@SlanderedGaming]

Yup it's a fantastic villain origin.

[@Russman67]

@@SlanderedGaming Anti-hero. I DID get rid of the dragon still (quietly kicks Loghain's body in the shadows)

[@annmester2740]

I wish more games did this. For me, for a male character, I'd go dwarf noble, and for a female character I'd go city elf. These and mage are my absolute favorites although the human noble story is also great.

[@SlanderedGaming]

Me too! I'd love to see more origins.

[@deathstar6998]

I love the Origin system but I understand why it doesn't come back in future RPG's and that is because you cannot avoid narrative railroading because most developers like to create a central narrative rather than continuous branching narratives as its easier in terms of workload for them and lets them increase the writing quality. Because I am going to be honest the best part about Origins was the Origins and playing out the starting stories to their narrative conclusion is nice but bittersweet by the 3rd playthrough because you ultimately have to go to Ostagar to become a Grey Warden. I feel like if you are going to create a game with an Origin system like Dragon Age you should allow the player to somewhat sandbox their experience and narratively railroad them less for the best outcome imo.

[@SlanderedGaming]

Yup it's complicated making this type of game.

[@orrthehunter]

Dalish Elf Male was my canon of choice when it came to my chosen Canon World state. Human Noble Male was the more personal preference. I still am kind of disappointed to this day in DAO that we could not have chosen a commoner Human as our Warden origins. The Human Commner Origin was one of the cut contents they could not add into the game due to taking too long making the game. The other Origin that was cut out is Human Barbarian.

[@SlanderedGaming]

Oh wow I didn't know that was originally going to be an option.

[@orrthehunter]

@@SlanderedGaming ya a lot of things were cut out due to taking too long in development for DAO.

[@Kammereer]

My origin ranking is to split them in two tiers - City Elf, Mage, and Human, and Shit Dwarf, Dalish Elf, Noble Dwarf. Dwarves and the Dalish have nearly no reactivity, with Shit Dwarf being marginally better than the rest. Meanwhile, City Elf, Mage, and Human have extremely good tie-ins with the rest of the game on top of a very strong origin vignette.

[@SlanderedGaming]

Dwarf has no reactivity?! Bruh stop lighting up the strong stuff you cannot handle it. 😂

[@danteh4947]

Human noble and Dwarf noble are my favorites.

[@SlanderedGaming]

Great choices!

[@ryanobrien2383]

I didn't even watch the video and knew dwavern noble was the OG!!

[@SlanderedGaming]

It's hard to resist!

[@antonioperezhernandez5846]

Great video, will you be doing a DA: 2 and DA: I review for 2024 as for Origins?

[@SlanderedGaming]

Yup that's the plan!

[@antonioperezhernandez5846]

@@SlanderedGaming excellent can’t wait for them!

[@Jonasamaya]

Could you do a rank of the extended universe ? Books and comics from the series

[@SlanderedGaming]

Hmmmm maybe at some point but here's a lot of the extended universe that I am unfamiliar with.

[@Venislovas]

It's shame only time you get back to Dalish place is during Witch Hunter DLC and in that dungeon only, so only Human Noble never gets back to Highever.

[@SlanderedGaming]

Yeah it would've been nice to reconnect with your clan.

[@Venislovas]

@@SlanderedGaming Yeah, but only thing you reconnect is that mirror

[@cbrock68]

I always preferred dwarf commoner since I always side with bhelen since in the epilogue he seems to be the better choice over harrowmont and it’s hard to side with him as the his brother after he sets up you and your older brother to kill each other/ frame you for his murder

[@SlanderedGaming]

It's true Bhelen is the better choice but that makes it even more power as a Dwarf Noble. You choose what's best for Orzammar over what's best for you personally.

[@thesecondhat4717]

Where my Dwarf Nobles at!? Btw you should go into details about the cosmetic changes that qunari have gone through across the games. I think they looked best in 2, while copy-pasted as a race it works on two levels: first is that they're the military and the race is under a societal wide eugenicist program so the sameness is lore accurate, the other is that the game's story is told through Varric so he might have painted them as some racial other.

[@SlanderedGaming]

They absolutely look the best in 2 and I wish the later games adopted that model more.

[@edejor]

The darkspawn chronicles would make an interesting video.

[@SlanderedGaming]

I actually skipped that DLC during my playthrough. LOL

[@edejor]

@@SlanderedGaming why was that? It does have a very different feel to the main campaign but you do earn an item playable in origins and awakening.

[@MuppetLord1]

Same favorite origin as me! :D

[@SlanderedGaming]

Awesome!

[@MrRevolutionMars]

My cannon dragon age elf mage, da 2 human, da inquisition qunari mage, da veilguard dwarf rogue

[@tylerpetersen6226]

Dwarf noble is one of the best starting origins as it is possible to get almost 26 gold before escaping the tutorial if you know how to play your cards right.

[@drowsycleric5816]

Es una pena que la mayor parte del contenido sea en inglés, faltan creadores de contenido en español y supongo que al no dar las visitas deseadas pues se pierde la oportunidad. Gracias por el vídeo, esta lista es lo que buscaba. Personalmente me gusta más el de noble humano seguido del noble enano. Espero con ansias veilguard

[@SlanderedGaming]

Me alegra que hayas disfrutado el vídeo. Haría contenido en español si pudiera.

[@vanmoosel]

as a dwarf Noble you can if you know how to have two children

[@SlanderedGaming]

Yup but I felt like that would be spoilery information so left it out of the video.

[@robertwadsworth3411]

Top 3 with Dwarf Noble, Mage, and Dalish Elf.

[@SlanderedGaming]

Nice!

[@indiBun]

i politely disagree with the order except the bottom spot, i think the Dalish Origin by itself is the least strong too. I put Alienage Elf and Castless Dwarven at the top because they're so intense, and it is such a rags to riches story for both of them

[@SlanderedGaming]

I don't blame you they are both great.

[@ashregriffin]

i have the same top 3, but in different order#1 is human noble #2 dwaven noble and #3 is circle mage

[@SlanderedGaming]

They are all great so it's hard to choose.

[@stynkus]

Like you; my favourite was the Dwarven Noble. The prologue for this one went hard, though not as hard as city elf; and it set the stage for a lot Dwarven culture. Add to that the tons of interaction you get during the entire game. Easily the origin that feels like the one most integrated into the main story. My second favourite is the City Elf origin; both male and female. The prologue sequence for that one went hard; especially with some of the decisions you can make. And being a City Elf has its own set of cool interactions and challenges that also adds a lot of oomph to the game. And my third favourite is the Elf Mage origin. The whole fade prologue sequence really set the stage for the basic mage experience that will stay with your throughout the game. Honourable mention is Human Noble because of the way you can influence the game's end; but otherwise it was just meh. The others for me were really just meh! and really didn't do it much for me.

[@SlanderedGaming]

City Elf is the hardest for sure but I still really enjoyed Dwarf Noble.

[@spellandshield]

Dwarf Commoner and Dwarf Noble for me...

[@SlanderedGaming]

Both awesome choices!

[@blackfistxu7953]

👍🏾👍🏾💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💪🏾💪🏾

[@O-D-X]

I more or less agree with your entire list ... Let's just say that is an outlier for sure. The top 3 could be in any order based on preference, but the bottom three there is a clear cut ranking just the way you did it. My top 3 was the same as yours, though I really rank it as 1 - 2A -2B.

[@SlanderedGaming]

Agreed the top three are really close.

[@cttommy73]

Dwarf Commoner is NOT the peasant of the Dwarven race. No, They are WORST than peasants. Peasants is too good for them and ranked far higher. They are basically the City Elves of the Dwarven race, but living a worst life. Hence I think the origin is more interesting than Dwarf Noble origin to play. P.S. Mage origin is not very fun as well, as compared to Human Noble. Who doesn't want to be an important person. Best damn origin is Human Nobel.

[@person042]

Dwarf nobel ftw

[@SlanderedGaming]

For sure!

[@sayurioffenborn4960]

my favorite: human noble and city elve. after that both dwarf origins. I really don't like the mage origin. Because of how it layed out. Dalish is boring for me.

[@eastbow6053]

solas was right Dalish are boring in general xD

[@SlanderedGaming]

Seems like a lot of people love the human noble option.

[@julilla1]

How very wrong you are, lol. My go to origins are human noble and Dalish elf. Those just hit so hard for me.

[@SlanderedGaming]

😂

[@fynnh5459]

Same here 😊

[@pachisi13]

Human nobility is the greatest in gaming history. It’s basically Game of Thrones. Your father is the Ned Stark character, Howe is Roose Bolton, and Loghain is like Tywin. Absolute revenge story!

[@Xxxkiller101]

Nah human noble is way too idyllic and pretty one dimensional. It just felt like I had the perfect family and in one night it all goes wrong thank to some cartoonish evil person. Dwarf noble is a lot closer to GoT with actual politics, trial by combat, and a succession crisis

[@pachisi13]

@@Xxxkiller101 the Starks were idyllic until Tywin and Roose Bolton got through with them . Exactly like the Couslands. I’ve written a novel and three screenplays. The story points are identical. You feeling it’s too perfect has to do with your own personal experiences. That’s immaterial to the actual writing. Dwarf noble is second best because it’s more House of the Dragon, not Original Game of Thrones

[@SlanderedGaming]

It could've been like that but there's not quite enough content to flesh it out.

[@pachisi13]

@@SlanderedGaming from a role playing perspective there’s no more satisfying moment in the game than eliminating Rendon Howe. Other than losing a child or a spouse nothing compares to losing a parent. Not even a sibling. With Bhelen there’s internal conflict. Yes you want vengeance but he’s your brother. There is no conflict with Howe. It’s the culmination of a sixty hour revenge quest!

[@fynnh5459]

​@@pachisi13 I agree with a lot of your points, but eh, you can't weigh the death of a sibling as less traumatizing than losing a parent. Generalizing these things is never a good idea. 😅

[@Hellfurian1972]

One of my favorite games. Mage is my favorite then warrior human.

[@SlanderedGaming]

Mine too!

[@RainbowFuzz]

My top two are dwarf noble and dwarf commoner (aka casteless). I honestly loved the dwarven politics and culture stuff, and wish we could have gone more into it in the newer games.