Dragon Age: Origins/Heartwarming: Difference between revisions

* After you give Morrigan the true grimoire:

'''Morrigan''': [goes very [[Tsundere|deredere]]] I... you should not be so... you have no idea what might happen in the days to come, to make such promises... }}

* Also, when Morrigan admits that she considers the Warden a friend after doing her personal quest.

* If you are a female and have a high approval with Morrigan, she will, in one conversation, refer to you not only as a friend but as a sister.

* Also Morrigan's goodbye when you split your party when defending Denerim (presumably only if you went with her plan, have enough approval but aren't romancing her). Made more heart-breaking, since this is likely [[But Now I Must Go|the last time you will ever see her]].

* How about the end of the sympathetic version? YMMV, but this troper, if capable of it at this point, would have cried when Morrigan said "I will miss you... my love" in that sad, tired voice. And then {{spoiler|the thing with the ring in the epilogue}}? My GOD, this troper hasn't been so thoroughly depressed since Old Yeller!

** In Witch Hunt, if you kept the ring, she mentions it.

* And lastly, when you are asked what you are going to do during the post-[[Final Battle]] scene, one of the options (right next to "help rule Ferelden", "rebuild [[The Order]]", and "save the world again") is that [[I Will Find You|you will find Morrigan]].

** And in Witch Hunt [[DLC]], you do. Which becomes another Heartwarming Moment:

** Of course if you were more than friends you have another option and the conversation itself is a bit deeper. {{spoiler|Morrigan explains while she regrets how she had to leave she explains it needed to be done. If you tell her you want to go with her into the mirror, she warns you that you have no idea what lays on the other side but you can tell her you don't care you just want to be with her "no matter what." She relents, you two embrace and you both enter the mirror side by side.}}

=== Alistair ===

* Alistair giving the female PC a rose he picked in Lothering.

* And Alistair caps it off in the [[Grand Finale]] if he stays with the Warden until the end and {{spoiler|you didn't [[Take a Third Option]]. Then, if the Warden insists on sacrificing herself to kill [[Big Bad|the Archdemon]]...}}

* Just before approaching Redcliffe for the first time, after Alistair has spilled the beans about {{spoiler|his father being King Maric}} gets me every single time:

'''Alistair:''' No ... what I really think is that I was lucky enough to have survived with you. }}

* Or the other option:

'''Alistair:''' The reason I say I was lucky. }}

** Alternate for a male Warden considered a friend.

'''Alistair''': The reason I think we have a chance to make things right. }}

** Don't forget {{spoiler|giving him Duncan's shield!}}

* During the [[Grand Finale|finale]], {{spoiler|you're forced to split up the party, taking three members to fight the Archdemon and leaving the rest behind to guard the gates of Denerim.}} Your party member's dialogue will differ, depending on whether or not you choose to take them with, though their heartfelt goodbyes always swing between [[Tear Jerker]] and [[Crowning Moment of Heartwarming]]. Upon choosing to take Alistair with me while romancing him, I braced myself for a somewhat awkward or resentful conversation considering {{spoiler|I'd just convinced him to do the ritual with Morrigan in spite of all the revulsion and reservations he must have had.}} And then...

'''Alistair:''' And I love you. '''Always.''' }}

=== Leliana ===

* Leliana's story about the literal [[Star-Crossed Lovers]] and her subsequent confession of love, after which the Warden can say that s/he already knew and felt the same:

'''Leliana''': Well, I, uh... that settles it, then. }}

* Another example comes if you complete Leliana's personal quest (preferably by killing Marjolaine). In your first conversation, Leliana will confess that she feels herself "slipping." This is your opportunity to harden her personality or to convince her that she's a good person. If you choose the latter, she will later thank you. During a third conversation about Marjolaine, you can comment to Leliana that you hope to be as special to her as Marjolaine was.

* Both of Leliana's speeches before the final battle for a romantic partner are shining examples of this trope.

'''Leliana''' (if left to defend the gate): "Whatever happens I...I will always treasure the time we shared. No darkspawn, no archdemon will ever take that from me. You are my Grey Warden, and our savior. Win this war for us my love and... come home." }}

=== Zevran ===

* Telling Zevran that you want him to choose his own path after {{spoiler|killing Taliesin.}}

'''Zevran''': I... am not sure how to respond to that. Nobody has ever... I mean, normally these things are decided by others. Er... I suppose I shall... stay? Is... is that... good? }}

* He actually ''turns down'' the PC's offer of sex afterwards, [[Ladykiller in Love|because he finally realizes he's in love with him/her]] and he's confused by it not being just another fling. (Though if you talk him through his feelings, he'll resume visiting you in your tent.) The rest of the romance is ''made'' of this trope.

* Especially the sadly deleted "in love" dialogue before the [[Very Definitely Final Dungeon]]:

'''Zevran''': Yes. Yes, I know that. (amused -- he can't say it himself -- prelude to a kiss) }}

* In one conversation with Wynne, she says that she's a very old woman and she's feeling tired. The Warden can say that she looks like she's got a lot of years in her yet and her response is "You are very kind to say so."

* This conversation with Wynne:

'''Warden:''' That's all I could ask for.<br />

'''Wynne:''' And perhaps one day, they will forget, but it will not erase what you did. Every new day they see will be because of you. And nothing in this world will ever make that untrue. }}

=== Other companions ===

* Shale, of all people, gives you one if {{spoiler|you side with Caridin, do Shale's sidequest, and get a high approval rating with the golem. The golem, for the only time in the game, refers to the Warden as something other than "it".}}

** Giving Shale a pet rock from the Feast Day DLC.

** After constantly referring to Wynne as "The Elder Mage" in conversations (much to her annoyance), Shale ends one conversation with:

** Shale can decide to become mortal again, after spending the entire game bemoaning them as useless, fleshy, squishy things, due to the Warden showing her that mortals can prove to be just as tough as a ''Golem'' if they want to be. What really make that conversation so heartwarming is her small admission that if the Warden should ever see a small Dwarven woman in the crowd, nervous about being squished, that will be ''her''. Shale's openly admitting her own fear and trepidation at becoming mortal again, but ''still'' wants to try because of your example.

*** And in one epilogue, she ''succeeds''.

* Dog. Just... Dog. Double for a human noble. From the way he rolls in the grass when you pet him, his bonding with Sten, everything about Dog makes this troper feel warm and fuzzy. Especially at the end, it you decide to not take him with you. The way he whines, and you can just hear it in his voice that he knows you'll get in trouble without him, but he'll stay here to make sure ''nothing'' will get past him. That's my boy.

** In the scene before the final battle, if you don't take him with you, the Dog's concern is expressed thusly:

* Oghren, if you choose to leave him in defense of the gate at the final battle. Especially if you have maxed out approval. He realizes how far he's fallen from the great warrior he used to be to the raving drunk he was when you met him, and he shows that your friendship helped pull him out of that ditch.

** His line when you do take him with you is also a [[Badass Boast]] and CMOH combined.

* Sten and Shale hit it off remarkably well, especially considering the borderline antagonistic conversations they have with everyone else. Sten expresses impressive respect for Shale's abilities, and Shale responds in kind, admitting that she admires Sten's combat prowess (as well as his musculature...) - something she does for no one else in the party save, potentially, the Warden. And for Sten's part, he actually refers to Shale as ''kadan'' - just like he does the Warden.

** Later on during the final battle wherein Shianni refuses to flee instead staying to defend their homes along side the Warden (which doubles as a [[Crowning Moment of Awesome]] for her.)

** There's a small one at the end of this origin as well, though it can go overlooked considering all the horrible things that have happened so far. After {{spoiler|killing Vaughn for raping Shianni,}} the Warden and Soris escape with the girls back to the alienage. When the guards show up looking for the ones responsible, the Warden has the option to step forward and take all the blame, even though they'll probably be tortured to death by the Arl of Denerim for it, saving Soris from the same fate. The gratitude that Soris shows you after Duncan recruits you into the Grey Wardens really drives the point home.

** This one is easy to miss but in the beginning of the game there are two kids running around behind Alarith's shop. If you stop to talk to them they explain they're playing a game where they pretend to be human heroes and fight each other. When asked why they don't play as elven heroes they say its because they've never heard of an elven hero. So this troper told them the story of Talthas, a crafty and beautiful rogue who stole from the rich to give to the poor and hide treasure all over Thedas when she retired. The kids start to argue over which one of them gets to be Talthas before starting to play again. It just felt good to give them a reason to be proud to be an elf.

** When you go (back) to the Alienage late in the game you find a mentally broken Elf woman outside the orphanage, muttering to herself about her grandmother and some bad things happening in the past. After the HONF orphanage quest, you can find a memento for the Elf. When you give it to her, she seems to find some solace from the gift and leaves, apparently calmer and more at peace. Coming on the heels of aforementioned quest and given the Alienage's condition at this point, its especially heartwarming.

* A good-aligned character will probably do [[Not Quite the Right Thing|more harm than good]] in Orzammar, but there is one example where that doesn't prove to be the case. In Dust Town, you can meet with a dwarven woman, Zerlinda, whose son is casteless. Because of this, she was told by her father to abandon the child in the Deep Roads to either starve or be eaten by darkspawn. She refused and is now reduced to begging. You can offer to convince her father to take Zerlinda back home. Upon returning to her with the good news, she can scarcely believe it.

* It overlaps with being a [[Tear Jerker]], but Niall's final farewell in the Fade is a heartwarming moment. After being trapped in the Fade and failing to save the Circle, Niall is understandably feeling a bit depressed about the prospect he's going to die alone. You can try to reassure him that he isn't alone, but he'll throw it back in your face. "Right, some complete stranger is going to be my sole companion for the rest of my short, pathetic life." By acquiring new forms and killing the demons imprisoning you, however, you can give him some hope. And when you defeat the Sloth Demon, he will tell you that he cannot leave the Fade as his body is dying. However, he does not fear death, and he can rest easy knowing that you will save the Circle. You can tell him that he did all he could and respond positively when he wonders if his mother would be proud of him. And in the end, his final words touch on this trope:

* A quiet, subtle one happens in the Deep Roads. You can find Ruck, a dwarf who has gone quite insane. When you track him to his home/lair, he gibbers at you frantically about how he had to resort to eating darkspawn corpses to survive. It's why he is the way he is. He then says you know what he's talking about, as he can sense the darkspawn corruption in you. If you respond with the line "I'm a Grey Warden, it's not quite the same." he tilts his head, then replies in a reverent tone "Grey, like the Stone. Guardian, against the darkness." Dwarves revere the Stone around them, and they reserve their highest compliments to be comparisons to it. He basically calls you a savior sent by the Ancestors to protect everyone, even if you've been a bastard the entire game up to that point. It gave this Troper a warm fuzzy feeling, and prompted a, well, if not a Heel/Face turn, than at least a Neutral/Face turn.

** Also, if your Warden is female, he will compare her to the streams of lyrium found in the Deep Roads: a substance most races consider more valuable than gold.

* This troper found Sigrun's eternal thankfulness for the simple pleasure of being allowed to use the castle library downright heartbreaking. For background, since she was born casteless, she had been illiterate for most of her life, but after joining the Legion of the Dead a fellow Legionnaire taught her how to read, and she learned to love it...but they only had one book. This is the first time she's allowed to enjoy a simple hobby that any of us would take for granted.

** A possible epilogue for Sigrun:

* Anders' epilogue if he survives the storyline and you've completed his personal side-quest: He stays at the Vigil's Keep for a long, long time and when he finally decides it's time to leave, he comes right back not two months later because the Wardens have become more than just a job for him--they are now his home and family.