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Alistair: annoying or endearing? And why (not)?


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#1
Alehazar

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Depending on what character I play I either find Alistair amusing and endearing, or he simply repulses me with his hypocrisy of having me make all the decisions and subsequently blaming me for doing the "wrong thing". At Ostagar he states that the Wardens do whatever it takes to quell the Blight, but it seems he would rather make no sacrifices at all -just like all the people you have treaties for. You cannot make an omelet without breaking some eggs, but he still expects to be fed an omelet.
If my character really dislikes Alistair, I will do whatever it takes to simply p*ss him off to no end.
Usually when I play a Dalish Elf who tells Duncan he will regret his invocation of the Right of Conscription, I vent all my rage on (poor) Alistair -as well as all the other humans I encounter.

#2
RustyBlade

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Alistair: annoying or endearing?


An unequivocal yes :turned:

He is annoying, he does his damnedest to avoid responsibility, he whines and moans and can't seem to get a grip on the fact that sometimes you must make tough decisions. He wants to live in that Disney® dreamworld. At the same time he is also endearing; he wants to do what is right, he does his best to be a good friend and ally and (unfortunately) is the best choice to rule Ferelden because of all of the above. He is an enigma and a contradiction wrapped in a sustained confusion both likable and despise-able but indispensable.

#3
Thandal

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He gets (slightly) less annoying if you "harden" him. And the right dialogue branches will get him to acknowledge that you're the one making the decisions that he wouldn't, so maybe what you've done was for the best and he shouldn't be so hard on you. :thumbsup:

#4
brokenergy

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Close your windows and doors as the Alistair fan girls are coming! :biggrin: Jk

I must be the only person in the world who didn't find any of the companions annoying. Alistair is okay as a friend but is he someone who I would have a relationship? No, not really. He's not my type. At least he is no Carth....

#5
XTR3M368

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I always want to smack the back of his head with my palm like Gibbs does to DiNozzo on NCIS. He is a nice guy buy I want to tell him to shut up most of the time. He reminds me of a 12 year old trapped in the body of a full grown man in his mid twenties...endearing sometimes, but always annoying as hell. If I was a woman, I would tell him to just shut up, stand there, and just look pretty.....which is pretty much what I do to Morrigan lol. She annoys me too but that is for a whole other thread. :tongue: Either way, if I was a woman or the guy I am, give me Leliana either way....especially with that new Dracomies morph for her...YUM!...as for Alistair...he needs to grab his weapon, shut up and fight.

#6
Hjaaalmar

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If you played a character not prone to altruism through the whole game I think you would find that Alistair is fairly accepting of the morally questionable and tolerant of slaughter. For instance he won't care all that much if you let Redcliff fall.

"I'm sorry my lord [Teagan]. You have to understand... as Grey Wardens the dark spawn are our primary concern" (-5 approval)

If you sacrifice the elven slaves to gain a point of constitution he will care least of those who care (Sten and Morrigan approves). If you kill the dalish to get a werewolf army he won't disapprove at all. Doing nasty stuff to unimportant people (like say kill a caged prisoner for a key) will give small approval hits and a sigh from him but nothing major. Alistair in general is refreshingly apathetic:

"Blood magic, it just get's better and better doesn't it" -10 approval
"the bargains we make these days...." -10 approval

Compare that to Leliana's passionate outbursts ("No!") or Wynne's judgmental hissy fits if you will....

There is however one exception to this and that is when you lash out at human authority figures. Threatening a revered mother or displeasing an arl will set Alistair off. The latter is reflected in the case of the Redcliff demon and Alistair's reaction if you opt to kill it in the real world (not the fade). It's not about killing an innocent boy and how that goes against Disney standards. It's about the all important arl and Alistair's relationship to him. This is stated outright if you have high enough cunning.

Alistair: This is the arl's son were talking about here. What do you think he'll say when we revive him... I owe the arl more than this.
Cunning Warden: So this is about you and him and not me [and my decisions] at all
Alistair: No... Well maybe I don't know. I suppose it's done isn't it and it'll have to be enough. Ahhh why am I getting on your back about it. You did what you had to.

#7
Chiramu

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I think I've worked out why I dislike Alistair (and I'm getting a bit sick of seeing peoples' female PCs with him now >.>); but Alistair is a CHILD.
He is still this whiny little baby that wants everyone to make decisions for him :/.
I don't hate him, but he is a very big child and he looks at the Grey Wardens moral code with rose-tinted glasses. I read the lore about Duncan, and what Riordan says about the Grey Wardens; and Alistair's take on them is a bit annoying. Especially when it comes to Loghain.

Again, think of him as a little boy wielding a toy sword. That is Alistair from the games as I see it, and I think it fits quite well.

#8
Hjaaalmar

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So that's why he likes dolls so much (statuettes he calls them).

#9
Chiramu

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So that's why he likes dolls so much (statuettes he calls them).


lol

#10
brokenergy

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If you played a character not prone to altruism through the whole game I think you would find that Alistair is fairly accepting of the morally questionable and tolerant of slaughter. For instance he won't care all that much if you let Redcliff fall.

"I'm sorry my lord [Teagan]. You have to understand... as Grey Wardens the dark spawn are our primary concern" (-5 approval)

If you sacrifice the elven slaves to gain a point of constitution he will care least of those who care (Sten and Morrigan approves). If you kill the dalish to get a werewolf army he won't disapprove at all. Doing nasty stuff to unimportant people (like say kill a caged prisoner for a key) will give small approval hits and a sigh from him but nothing major. Alistair in general is refreshingly apathetic:

"Blood magic, it just get's better and better doesn't it" -10 approval
"the bargains we make these days...." -10 approval

Compare that to Leliana's passionate outbursts ("No!") or Wynne's judgmental hissy fits if you will....

There is however one exception to this and that is when you lash out at human authority figures. Threatening a revered mother or displeasing an arl will set Alistair off. The latter is reflected in the case of the Redcliff demon and Alistair's reaction if you opt to kill it in the real world (not the fade). It's not about killing an innocent boy and how that goes against Disney standards. It's about the all important arl and Alistair's relationship to him. This is stated outright if you have high enough cunning.

Alistair: This is the arl's son were talking about here. What do you think he'll say when we revive him... I owe the arl more than this.
Cunning Warden: So this is about you and him and not me [and my decisions] at all
Alistair: No... Well maybe I don't know. I suppose it's done isn't it and it'll have to be enough. Ahhh why am I getting on your back about it. You did what you had to.


Precisely... Alistair is not as bad as Wynne or unhardened Leliana




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