How smart are darkspawn?

[spinspider]

So, in all the days and days and days on end I've spent doing nothing but playing this game, I always wonder about one thing. Just how intelligent ARE darkspawn, anyway? How do they plan out attacks and battles and such? Who commands them and rallies them when there isn't currently any archdemon around to do so? And even better yet, where the heck do they get their armor and weapons from? I seriously doubt that even darkspawn come out of their mothers' wombs already fully armed and armored, so... where do they get it all from? Lol.

 

Also, although this hasn't anything to do with darkspawn, I wonder about this to. All of the other origins don't get Dog until after Ostagar, but the Human Noble receives the dog right at the very beginning of the game. So when the Human Noble walks out of Flemeth's hut after the great massacre, Alistair and the dog are waiting for them. But, it is never explained how the heck this happened. Morrigan only tells how the player and Alistair are rescued. But how did the dog survive? And how did he manage to get around all those darkspawn and make it back to the Wilds alive and unharmed? Any theories or explanations about this?

[Risenz]

Well, your first point is quite hard to answer. It seems that Hurlock Alphas command the troops but it is unclear. In the Ostagar cutscene the hurlock alpha does lead the charge. As for planning and organising, Don't forget that they are led to where they need to go by the archdemon. They also don't usually seem to have much strategy except for leading a massive charge and strength in numbers. I suppose that's why everyone was so surprised in the first level of Awakenings. Darkspawn armour? In short, I'm pretty hazy on that, but there was that Genlock Forge Master in the deep roads, and there could be more than one of those. As for your "when the archdemon isn't there" point, the Archdemon communicates to them through dreams, and this is the thing the Grey Wardens can sense, so its pretty central. So, in conclusion, in my opinion, I wouldn't say most\low ranking Darkspawn are clever at all. They don't really seem to have minds of their own, and seem to be always controlled by something, like pawns on a chessboard. Alpha's and high ranking members may be further up, but they are still controlled by something, think of them as everything except pawns, Kings and Queens. The King would be the Archdemon, as an old God can't have too low an IQ, and he seems to be in control and able to think up plans and strategies. Then, finally, the *SPOILER* Architect/Mother would probably be the Queens. My reasons being, they're second in command (picks up after Archdemon dies) and the Architect is charismatic and still able to have command over the Darkspawn, and the Mother is downright freakin crazy. Sure, the Architect is not a huge spirit bomb throwing mighty godly unbeatable dragon, but I think he's more dangerous for other reasons. He's clearly very clever, knows how to formulate strategies, and seems to have unseen powers at his hands, I just think he has an aura of mystery about him. Just my thoughts though. *END SPOILER*

 

As for your second question, which is somewhat easier to answer, that is simply a plothole.

 

Sorry for the wall of text, but I hope I helped and answered your question.

[RustyBlade]

My theory on how the dog escapes in the human origin would be that he escapes the same way he does in the other origins. The non-human noble origins have him escaping a fenced pen, shedding a muzzle and making it miles down the road to find the PC all the while avoiding the darkspawn. I don't think it is that much more difficult for him to get out of the tower and make it to Flemeth's hut. After all, he's smart enough not to talk and darkspawn are just too stupid to talk (or are they?), besides, you did leave all the doors open didn't you? I would also have to assume that the darkspawn don't see an animal as a threat unless the animal is attacking them.

[DarkeWolf]

For the most part, the DS seem to operate more at a "hive mentality" state other than when they are in battle. Pretty much following the direction of the queen/mother except for The Calling (the song of the old gods). which directs them to search, and dig for their prisons.

Intelligence wise, I'd equate the genlocks and hurlocks to predatory pack animals. Like wild dogs, packs of rats, etc. Alphas, I'd relate more like intelligent pack animals such as wolves, coyotes, and such which are capable of formulating simple tactics and strategies, but the DS arent very good at either keeping TO those stragegies, nor compensating for then the situation changes on them. (mostly cause when it comes down to combat, they fall into mass chaos).

The spellcasters, on the other hand.... I'd relate them more to an autistic late teen. They have the maturity, intellect, and awareness, but not a lot of clarity. I mean, they've constantly got the droning of the Calling in their heads. Driving them at an instinctual level, so that hinders their capacities to learn.

 

Dont confuse intellect with the ability to have skills :wink:

The DS are some of the best diggers around. And they do so without caving in their tunnels. That suggests some intellect, and the ability to reason out how to dig without cutting out their supports.

Granted, their smithing skills SUCK. But then again, thats a fairly complex process.

 

The dog. Here's my take on it, and I'm borrowing this partially from the novel The Calling. Humans, elves, and dwarves arent the only critters that can become Wardens. There was a warden in the book who had a warhound named Hafter. Hafter was a warden-ized mutt. Fed him the ritualistic blood, and everything. Could sense them, had the dreams, the whole bit.

I think, thats what happened to Dog. Not thru the ritual, but getting the blood in him during battle. If he could sense them coming, he could avoid them much easier.

Who knows, maybe that flower that the kennel master in Ostagar had us get, was something of a catalyst for the blood or something. Gave him enough of an immunity to warden-ize him.

[RustyBlade]

Who knows, maybe that flower that the kennel master in Ostagar had us get, was something of a catalyst for the blood or something. Gave him enough of an immunity to warden-ize him.

 

Wow, I had toyed with the idea of the dog being a K9 Warden but never seriously considered it as there was no ritual but what if that flower was actually the main catalyst of the ritual. Duncan did say they needed time to prepare...

[roninsoul7]

Nah, dog doesn't need to be a warden to avoid creatures as loud, obtuse and stupid as darkspawn... or other forms of humanoids for that matter. A dog in a house can hear it's master's car coming from a mile away, it can use it's sense of smell to track through water, a city actually gives it more trouble since there are so many scents at once, with all those sensory advantages, it would hear them coming from miles away, and smell them from just as far, plenty of warning on where to avoid them.

 

The darkspawn do seem to follow a hive mentality to a point, though more like a beehive than an anthill. The individuals are autonomous, but not very bright until they move up the "ladder", how that happens I don't know, but I figure the architect was once a normal darkspawn that just kept getting better.