Even though there are many heroes in the Dragon Age games, there is a strong case that Hawke is the best hero in the whole series.
Dragon Age 2 isn’t the most famous game in the series, but its story lets players watch Dragon Age history being made. For many early fans, the game’s design flaws overshadowed what it did well, and many new fans of the series don’t play it because they don’t know what they’re missing.
One thing that gets lost in this spinoff-turned-sequel is how much fun and emotion it is to play as Hawke. Even though the maps are reused and you can only play as a human, players who play Dragon Age 2 won’t feel like they’re biting into a ham that tastes like sadness. Instead, they’ll have a great time with the second Dragon Age protagonist.
Not The Chosen One
High fantasy stories take a risk when they move away from the “chosen one” trope. As good as it can be when it works, there are a lot of ways for it to go horribly wrong. If the hero’s goals or the plot are too clearly made to fit together. Hawke’s story follows the plot of Dragon Age 2 in a way that makes sense.
Hawke’s story, like the stories of the other Dragon Age heroes, involves darkspawn, high politics, and important people like Flemeth. Even though these forces are there from the start of Dragon Age 2, Hawke’s rise to fame and wealth comes from things that most people can relate to: keeping the family together, keeping Kirkwall stable, and wanting to live better.
Not Anyone’s Ideal Recruit
There are a lot of exciting events in Dragon Age that need the help of experts like the Grey Wardens. Institutions like the Chantry are often in charge of keeping things in order. None of the Dragon Age heroes are safe from these groups’ politics. But Hawke’s fate isn’t tied to them like the others’ are.
Even though being committed to a single cause can make for a great plot. Hawke’s story is mostly about how he lives in the world of Dragon Age as a commoner, albeit a resourceful one. Fans of the series say that Hawke is the only hero who shows them how the actions of these loved and hated institutions affect regular Thedasians over time.
Hawke Doesn’t Just Get The Kirkwall T-Shirt
All Dragon Age heroes are out to save the world. Or, at the very least, they usually show up at the most dangerous things that happen in Thedas and try to stop them. Hawke is more like the second type. But unlike the heroes of other games, he has to deal with the results all the time.
Even though Kirkwall is a controversial choice for a setting. There are a lot of good reasons for the hero of the story to stay and live in the place they changed. Hawke has to make decisions that are in his own best interest. But because the setting doesn’t change, helping Kirkwall is in Hawke’s and the player’s best interest.
The Plight Of The Mages Is Personal
If Hawke is played as a mage, it is easy for the player to care about the Mage-Templar struggle that is at the heart of Dragon Age 2. But the game goes one step further: if Hawke isn’t the mage, then their brother or sister is.
Even though the other main characters in Dragon Age have personal stakes in their stories. Hawke or Bethany are the only ones who have to live in Kirkwall, a city that doesn’t like magic. No matter what class the player picks. There are always good reasons for Hawke to keep an eye on both the Templars and the Circle mages.
Hawke Has Antihero Potential
Hawke can be played as even more evil than the other main characters in Dragon Age. Given everything these characters go through, it’s easy to imagine how the game can change each of their personalities. But unlike the other Dragon Age heroes, Hawke’s traumas are always highly personal in some way.
The Warden is stuck on a dangerous job for life, and the Inquisitor has to carry around the Anchor. Most of the choices they make are based on their job. The personality choices they make are fun, but not very important. Hawke’s personality choices won’t change the story on their own. But since he’s a self-made hero, how the player makes him seems to matter a lot more.
Hawke Has A Family To Protect
Even though all of the Dragon Age heroes have thorough pasts. Where they come from is usually not a big part of the story. This isn’t the case in Dragon Age 2, where Hawke has to take care of his family well after the first chapter.
It’s easy to care about what happens in Thedas. But having a mother and a brother or sister to protect gives the story a human touch that the other Dragon Age heroes don’t have. Hawke can’t stop bad things from happening to his family. But players will care about what happens to Leandra, Bethany. And Carver because they were important to them in the game.
A Magnet Has Magnetic Friends
Many Dragon Age fans will say that just getting to know Varric might be enough reason to play Dragon Age 2 on its own. Aside from this beloved friend, the other characters who stay with Hawke are complicated, have strong opinions, are annoying, sad, and funny. Above all, they are friends.
Dragon Age‘s friends are known for being interesting. And the ones in the other games can care just as much about the main characters as Hawke’s do. But anyone who joins the Inquisition or helps the Grey Wardens knows that they are joining something bigger than themselves. On the other hand, Hawke’s friends are always there for him as a person, not because of what he does.
Frenemies Are Forever, Too
One of the best things about the Dragon Age games is that they let roleplayers change the way their companions interact with each other. In Origins and Inquisition, a big change in the approval meter can make companions turn against the main character or leave them early. So it’s usually best for the player to keep them nice.
In Dragon Age 2, however, players can focus on rivalries instead of bonds without making Happy Wheels harder. With a friendship and rivalry meter instead of an approval meter. Dragon Age 2‘s allies don’t have to agree with Hawke in order to respect him and get along with him.
Unmitigated Snark
The fact that Hawke can change is one of the best things about Dragon Age 2. Sarcastic Hawke is without a doubt the most fun way to play the character within that. The Champion of Kirkwall might not be as serious as the Hero of Ferelden or the Inquisitor. But Hawke doesn’t have to act like a leader to get things done, while those characters do.
Hawke’s lines are well-written, and the game also changes dialogue that can’t be changed based on the player’s personality decisions. Even though there are only three main personality designs, people in Kirkwall will react to and comment on the changes if the player mixes up their conversation choices.
A Journey Of Personal Strength
Even though each main character has a scary story, Hawke stands out as a hero who makes it through the journey based only on his or her will to live, even when bad things happen. Hawke’s story works so well because of the “rags to riches” plot, but that’s not the only reason.
Hawke is an interesting character because he only has himself to depend on. Other Dragon Age heroes have organizations or causes they believe in, which gives them power. No matter how bad Dragon Age 2‘s rushed design is. It’s easy to love how moving the story of Hawke’s rise to fame is and how great these characters are.
