Hello fellow giantbombeders!

I just recently started playing DA:O again, having a blast as usual, especially with Nightmare difficulty.

However, I am in a pickle. I can't seem to decide which third companion would be the best, both strategically and for the dialog parts.

Allistar and Morrigan is a must for me, I like the Mubari dog (which I named him after my little brother), but he isn't the talkative type.

Any suggestions?

For some reason, I don't like Leliana..

Sten, drop Alistar for Shale if you get her, replace Morrigan with Wynne later on unless you are going to do the job yourself.

Golden.

Really need to know your class. Of course on the PC you can mod the dog in as another party member.

I would pick Wynne. You can never have too many healers in your party.

@Pierre42: @endaround: @Icemo:

I forgot to add that I am a dwarf rogue, and I use mods to change talents on everyone.

Morrigan has frost, healing and Crowd Control spells at the moment.

I also have all the DLC, so I can get that Golem guy.

If you are modding everyone's talents anyway then surely it doesn't matter who you pick?

Sten is a good choice.

@amir90:

@Sweep: Well, dialog wise , I love the random party banter.

@Briggs713: Might give him another chance, I didn't get to know him that well last time I played in 2009.

@RollingZeppelin: What, that is it's gender? My god, I have been mislead all these years..

Morri, Alistair and Zevran make a fine combo for banter and gameplay.

@Swoxx: It was in a spoiler warning.

@RollingZeppelin: Not the first one by mr pierre

Leliana was my favorite character from the game I think, though Morrigan went some cool placed by the end. I'd go with her, but you said you didn't like her.

Sten is fine, can always use another warrior, but he's boring as hell. So is the dog in the field. I don't like any of the other characters really.

I used Morrigan, Alistair and Zevran when I played it. But Shale is cool and the dwarf dude is alright. Ohgren?

I find a good damage-dealer would round out that party. Sten for damage and taking more of a beating, or a pure elemental damage mage (I guess that would be Wynne specced improperly, or a respecced Morrigan, but since you can do whatever you want talents-wise, that part doesn't matter). Once you have a rogue in your party, you really need two other people to draw the opposition away from you. I guess that decision still depends on how your rogue is specced: melee, or ranged.

I think you don't really have much of a choice from a role-playing/dialogue perspective when playing on nightmare. Your party has to be perfectly balanced. Personally, I really hate playing that way, so my advice might not be from a "power gamer perspective".

Sten and Morrigan together would leave you making "neutral/evil" decisions, or else having their approval ratings drop way low. They do, however, have a lot of similar opinions and interesting things to say when it comes to people begging you for help constantly, at least in the early game. Shale would also be interesting from the Dwarf perspective, and Shale can be like a D&D Bard (versatile, but master of nothing), so could fill out any position.

Sten or Wynne. My party included MC, Sten, Wynne and Morrigan. The banter between Morrigan and Sten is entertaining.

Go with Shale.

Occasionally swap out Alistair and Morrigan for Wynne and Zevran. Or Oghren and Zevran.

And if you just want to win more efficiently, use Wynne after you get the Arcane Warrior spec.

dog

I always used shale. She's a hybrid, so you can spec her out as a tank or dmg depending on the rest of your group. Also, she just has interesting stuff to say

I didn't really like any of the characters in DA:O. But I'm pretty sure I'm in the minority with that one.

That ginger bard.

I loved taking the dog (Eddie/Boggins), but it's just such a waste of a party member. You miss out on all the incidental banter that fills out the story and characterisation that make dragon age great.

@amir90 said:

Hello fellow giantbombeders!

I just recently started playing DA:O again, having a blast as usual, especially with Nightmare difficulty.

However, I am in a pickle. I can't seem to decide which third companion would be the best, both strategically and for the dialog parts.

Allistar and Morrigan is a must for me, I like the Mubari dog (which I named him after my little brother), but he isn't the talkative type.

Any suggestions?

For some reason, I don't like Leliana..

Personally I'd go with Sten. You'd have Alistair to tank with his sheild Sten to be the damage dealer while you help him as your rogue and morrigan can help debuff and crowd control. Honestly, personally I don't worry about having a dedicated healer. Morrigan can use some healing spells and as fast as you can chug potions you should be okay as long as your supply doesn't run out mid-battle.

@Swoxx said:

@RollingZeppelin: Not the first one by mr pierre

Shale isn't a spoiler... when you buy the DLC you clearly know what you are buying a Quest+ Party Member

@Demoskinos said:

@Swoxx said:

@RollingZeppelin: Not the first one by mr pierre

Shale isn't a spoiler... when you buy the DLC you clearly know what you are buying a Quest+ Party Member

Ugh, so not what I was talking about.

@Swoxx:

Apologies I hadn't considered other people than the OP since he said he'd beat it already, sorry but it's hardly a game changing one.

Also if you ARE going to take Shale, Sten is the perfect dialogue partner.

But yeah if you are just modding people differently....

@Pierre42: I've played it so it's all good. It isn't gamechanging but it is a big reveal in that DLC. At least I was shocked when I played it and learned that fact. Anyway, people are always going to disagree what a spoiler is since it's very personal what you consider important and not.

Wynne for sure

Dogs are superior to people as friends imo so... but you might consider that prisoner from the first town you go to along the road.

I didn't get too far into the game but the puppy was my favorite character. Maybe that's why I stopped playing...

Wyne is the best healer in the game.

Zevran and Sten have the best dialog stuff. I really hate Alistair.

Wynne. Always have a healer.

@Pierre42 said:

Sten, drop Alistar for Shale if you get her, replace Morrigan with Wynne later on unless you are going to do the job yourself.

Golden.

That

.

Also if you really like the dialogue, when you get to Denerim, go into the armor workshop run by those two dudes and run around the support pole then leave the shop. Go in again and run around the support pole, leave. And so on and so forth. I don't know if it was ever patched out because I haven't played it in forever, but that used to be a repeatable 'talk' trigger for your companions. Which was nice because you could switch people out on the fly and just keep doing it to hear the stuff they wrote :)

Wynne.

Zevran. His dialogue is the best in the game. Shale is remarkably useful and funny too.

@Swoxx said:

SPOILER WARNING: Click here to reveal hidden content.

Way to spoil the shale reveal guys

I was just thinking that, thats the big twist

Thanks for the help guys :)