It cannot be understated how much Dragon Age fans love Alistair. He’s a main character from the series who first appeared in Dragon Age: Origins. It may contribute to the series’ immense success ever since with many players even feeling that the newest Dragon Age installment needs to return to its roots.
Gamers have been patiently waiting for more Dragon Age content for years; they’d even take a remake of DAO like Mass Effect. In the meantime, there’s plenty of time left for the internet to work its magic and create memes about everyone’s shared experience. These 10 are among the best that the community has to offer.
10 A “Very Sad” Funeral
By the end of DAO, the player has a lot of control over what happens to Loghain – the man who abandoned the King, the army, and the Grey Wardens at the start of the game. Alistair, depending on how his personality developed during your adventures, will range from having no sorrow over Loghain’s death, to actively insisting on his execution.
While Anora, the potential future Queen of Ferelden and Loghain’s daughter, frets over her father’s fate, it’s a cathartic moment of conclusion for Alistair. That is if you sided with him over Loghain.
9 The Unobservant Warden
The trap system in DAO meant that they were hidden from players who didn’t keep a keen eye on the battlefield. Moreover, they could only be disarmed by a rogue. But, with a party including 3 free-roaming NPCs, trouble was always afoot and underfoot.
As a warrior class, Alistair couldn’t recognize or avoid traps. While the player might generally spot them and rogue NPCs would call out the trap when they recognized it, warriors just charged right towards the bad guys. As a warrior NPC the player can use from the beginning of the game, Alistair, unfortunately, carries much of the blame.
8 Alistair Never Quite Got The Hang Of Flirting
Though this can often be viewed as a turn-off, Alistair showcases plenty of times that he has absolutely no game whatsoever. But it’s that total lack of charisma that endears the oaf to players. His sincerity is always at the forefront and that’s really what counts, right?
There isn’t another companion in the series who can rival Alistair’s lack of flirting ability except, perhaps, Merrill in Dragon Age II. Even workaholic Cullen and being-of-pure-innocence Josephine have suave moments by comparison.
7 A Bad Combination
The player rounds up companions in DAO mostly by coincidence. If the Warden had been a little more careful in their choices, they might have picked people with more skills in the real world. After all, a bastard Grey Warden, an ex-spy obsessed with the Maker, an Antivan Crow, a qunari-out-of-Par Vollen bureaucrat, a drunken Dwarf, an apostate, and a rejected dog don’t exactly scream survival skills. Oh there’s also the spirit-possessed rock formation and an older woman who might be an abomination.
Depending on the origin story that the player picks (like a mage or a Dalish elf), they might be a total newb to ordinary human society. Yet, being on the run from the law requires some strict budgeting for all the essentials - food, water, warpaint for the dog…This is Real Adult Hours right here, but the Warden’s assembled party would likely not stick to the grocery list when shopping.
6 An Unwelcome Change
Lots of players were upset when BioWare didn’t make Alistair playable in Dragon Age: Inquisition. To add insult to injury, Alistair also got a makeover that made him unrecognizable according to many fans. There was a theory that Bioware just reused the Cullen model for Alistair.
However, some people were able to reconcile it because of how much Alistair would have aged since his appearance in the first game. Others insisted that this was hardly the same man and that they hadn’t even recognized him at first when he came onscreen. His more serious features and grown-out hair are at least attributable to his age and new experience, but the contention remains.
5 The Lamppost
Alistair’s romance may be one of BioWare’s best creations, but it does come with some goofy lines. Alistair has lived much of his life under the protection of the Chantry as he eventually went on to Templar training. Suffice it to say that he didn’t get out much to see girls. He and Cullen do have that in common.
One of his more iconic moments is when he asks the Warden if they’ve ever “licked a lamppost” before. His funniest quotes are often found in banter with other companions while on the road since they can occasionally tease him about his relationship with the Hero of Ferelden if romanced.
4 A Useless Cameo In Inquisition
If the Inquisitor decides to go after the Mages’ help towards the beginning of the game, they get a royal visit at the end of the quest. It may be Alistair, Anora, or both depending on who the Warden put on the throne at the end of DAO. However, it’s a pretty useless visit since all they do is chat with the Inquisitor and thank them for cleaning up Alexius’ mess.
It can leave the player wondering whether it was shoved in just to make sure Alistair appeared if he was king. But it also features as a goofy moment that almost makes sense. After all the fighting he’s done, can we blame Alistair for “accidentally” arriving after the battle is over?
3 Someone Call Social Services
Alistair is the love-child of King Maric and an elven mage. Since he didn’t want his wife, Queen Rowan, to discover him, Maric asked Arl Eamon of Redcliffe to keep the baby safe and cared for. Eamon, being Rowan’s brother, accepted in order to protect his sister from heartache.
While the game presents his story as a sad narrative and Eamon as the only father Alistair really had until he met Duncan, many players disagreed. They felt Eamon had mistreated Alistair from a young age by prioritizing his paranoid wife who worried that Alistair was actually Eamon’s son.
2 The “Nice Jock” Archetype
Alistair is the quintessential “himbo” as we use the word today. He is handsome, strong, and emotionally intelligent, but lacks some trauma-recovery and essential street smarts that you’d really like to see in a trained warrior and potential future king.
Though he presents physically as a highschool jock, he doesn’t really fit in with the others (like the nobles at Ferelden’s court). He’d much rather hang out with the misfits and nobodies, cracking bad jokes and laughing into the night.
1 His Romance Is Impossible to Resist
There are four romance options for the player to choose from in DAO. Alistair and Morrigan are both heterosexual while Leliana and Zevran are bisexual. All of these characters are well-written and developed and their romances provide a unique insight into their personalities and backstories.
However, for many, the temptation to romance Alistair is just too much to resist. Whether it’s their first playthrough or their fifty-first, they just can’t stay away. If the player tries to romance Leliana and Alistair at the same time, Leliana will actually corner the Warden and give them an ultimatum. They must declare their love for one person or the other. Even when challenged by the definitely-has-killed-a-lot Leliana, fans might still pick Alistair.
NEXT: Dragon Age: 5 Best Romances In The Series (& 5 Worst)
