Video Dragon Age: Origins

[Candice]

Here is my question, can you be evil or is it like Mass Effect and that you are more of a jerk instead of being evil?

I'm not sure what you mean by evil. You can be selfish, but you'll find the main quest is important if only for self-preservation. You can rob, cheat, steal, lie, kill, poison, and do some really terrible things. The problem you may face is that the characters in the game are far too real to do that for long. But yes, you can be very "evil."

The thing that impresses me about DA:O and its morality is that it's very realistic. There are few if any good vs. bad choices in the game. Usually there is selfish, altruistic, antisocial, and others. The creators don't force you to run in a maze with only two exits- good and evil. Rather it is a question of what way you choose to solve a dilemma and the consequences of your choices.

DA:O doesn't have any indicator or metric for your morality or alignment. Let that sink in for a moment.

I can't recall any RPG which had a system offering divergent choices of actions without some artificial and heavy-handed method of forcing you into two alternatives. Some even put [Good] and [Evil] labels on the choices themselves so you don't get confused! I always hated that, but I didn't know why until I played DA:O.

It's because morality isn't that simple. Actions have consequences, and that's exactly what a limited morality system divorces you from. When by being Good you still get a reward that is equal to being Evil, then it's no choice at all. When the choice is to save the maiden or rape her on the spot, it's no choice at all. But when the choice is to lie to someone you love in order to protect them from the truth or to blurt it out- now *that* is a choice. It's understandable, it's difficult, and it's consequences have no direct reward or cost other than to the characters involved. The choice isn't just some choice of reward or choice of violence versus talk. I'm tired of those being dressed up as morality.

At any rate, to answer the question raised:

Yes, DA:O allows you to be evil. But it's not a simple evil. It's one you create for yourself.