What's a good video game hero story without a good villain? Honestly, it's usually either a boring mess or an incredibly cozy game. Fortunately, the Dragon Age games have no shortage of quality villains. Or maybe it's bad luck if you have high blood pressure.
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While not all of them can hit your emotional spleen as hard as you'd like, the villains of each Dragon Age title have managed to leave an impression on the player. So which are the best of the worst?
9
Rendon Howe
How can anyone be this evil?
In the case of Rendon Howe, his effectiveness as a villain depends in part on what background you choose for your main character in Dragon Age: Origins. If you're playing a human noble, it becomes much more personal.
Howe is an old friend of Bryce Cousland's father, Human Sublime. But he betrays Bryce and the rest of your family and sends his soldiers to slaughter everyone in your house. His lust for power isn't exactly complicated and he's despicable regardless of your background, but finally defeating him later in the game is much more satisfying with this story.
8
Calpernia
Some go to great lengths to follow their people
Dragon Age: Inquisition gives you the choice to side with the mages or the templars in their long-running war, and given the nature of the mages, it's hard not to root for them. But if you side with the Templars, you will meet Calpernia, a mage from Tevinter who works with Corypheus to free her homeland from corruption.
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Of course, you won't find this out until you spend many quests fighting her extremist Venatori agents. She's a fierce fighter and comes across as almost a cartoonish villain at times, but watching her rage spill over to Corypheus when you find out he's planning to betray her is a sight to behold. She may not be the most stable of people, but her motives are relatable and her energy is mildly terrifying.
7
Goal
They are probably no longer welcome at The Blacksmith Meetings
A misguided effort to help one's people is always a fascinating motive for a villain. Sometimes, as with Branka in Dragon Age: Origins, this drive becomes so twisted that its originally good-natured core is almost unrecognizable. She is so focused on the end goal that she commits atrocities without thinking just to get there.
Branka is on a mission to find the Anvil of the Void, a mythical device that would allow her to create an unstoppable army of stone and metal golems for the good of her dwarves. Unfortunately, dwarves must be sacrificed to create golems. But she doesn't care and will gladly accept it to get her end if you don't stop her.
6
Arishok
When life gives you lemons, conquer the city
Sometimes a good villain starts with a good look, and Dragon Age 2's Qunari leader The Arishok had that figured out before anyone even knew what the game was about, thanks to a surprisingly great trailer. But he also has the wily brains and drive to back up that chiseled perfection.
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When the Qunari are stranded in Kirkwall, Arishok decides to seize the opportunity to try to force the inhabitants of the city under the rule of his people. Despite ultimately failing (spoiler alert), his commanding presence and some honestly well-made points make his time in the game memorable.
5
Architect
Try to be better, but maybe with less blood
Dragon Age: Origins – Awakening complemented its ambitious use of punctuation with a villain who may not actually be a villain. The Architect may be one of the original Magisters whose arrogance caused them to become the first darkspawn, but he is not one of the mindless creatures they eventually became.
The Architect discovered a way to gain free will for his fellow darkspawn by ingesting the Gray Warden's blood. Of course, one of his previous attempts had caused the mother, a human fertile mother, to make things even worse, and the knowledge that this was possible might blow your mind. So is the Architect really trying to do good? It's up to you how you decide. Dragon Age loves its gray areas.
4
Corypheus
Not Even Death Can Make Rich Guy Bougie Shut Up
Like the Architect, Corypheus is another ancient corrupt magister. Unlike the Architect, he decided to make it everyone's problem. He first appeared in the Dragon Age 2 Legacy DLC, returned as a surprise main villain in Dragon Age: Inquisition, and stayed committed to the drama.
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Corypheus' goal is to return to the Black City, the place in the Fade that he and his fellow Magisters reached before they were banished and turned into the first darkspawn. Unfortunately, it's going to take a lot of violence to get there. He's a pretty basic villain and you're hamstringing him pretty much every step of the way, but he's got that perfect villainous vibe that makes you enjoy him.
3
Knight-Commander Meredith Stannard
Fear leads to anger
Power corrupts, but so does red lyrium, and combining the two gives you Knight-Commander Meredith. As the leader of the Templars in Kirkwall, he's theoretically tasked with protecting the people and making sure mages don't get out of hand. Somewhere along the way, this mission went a little awry.
She begins Dragon Age 2 as already too militant in her view of mages. But when she gets her hands on a red lyrium idol, its influence twists her ambitions even further to the point where she is only satisfied by eradicating all the mages in the city. Meredith may seem reasonable at first glance, but she is one of the most dangerous tools of evil.
2
Solas
Crack that egg
Where were you when you found out that Solas, the lowly tea-hating mage you dragged around in your party for 100 hours in Dragon Age: Inquisition, was the ancient elven god Fen'Harel, the Dire Wolf? Statistically, you were probably somewhere on a couch or a chair, but what a shock, right?
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Solas' status as a major villain comes from more than surprise; is a tragic figure. He tries to remove the Veil that separates the waking world from the Fade (and that he put there, long story) that would bring back his lost world of ancient elves, but effectively destroys everything as it is. He still pursues this goal in Dragon Age: The Veilguard, but an unfortunate accident throws that plan into catastrophic chaos.
1
Loghain Mac Tir
Great motive, still murder
It's really hard for many to see Dragon Age: Origins' antagonist Loghain as anything other than a power-hungry villain. Frankly, it's hard to blame anyone for refusing to look any further. He betrayed the king and left him and the Gray Warden army to be slaughtered.
But this fellow truly believed he was doing what was right for his land of Ferelden. He figured he was the only one who could save his people from destruction, despite his dastardly methods. If you let him live and take him to the Gray Wardens, his appearance in Dragon Age: Inquisition is a fitting redemption arc and an excellent excuse to keep Hawke alive so they can get back to their best Varric.
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