What Happens When You Harden Leliana in Dragon Age?
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Hardening Leliana is a pivotal choice in Dragon Age: Origins and can influence her character arc significantly. Fundamentally, hardening Leliana means guiding her away from the more naive and idealistic persona she initially presents. You effectively reinforce her past experiences as a trained assassin and spy, emphasizing pragmatism and a willingness to do what’s necessary, even if it’s morally questionable, for the greater good. This transformation affects her dialogue, her approval of your actions, and ultimately, her potential future as Divine. It shifts her from a character driven by faith and compassion to one willing to use ruthless tactics.
The Ripple Effects of a Hardened Heart
Origins: The Seeds of Change
In Dragon Age: Origins, Leliana’s hardening stems from conversations primarily during her personal quest related to Marjolaine. If you encourage her to embrace her past, acknowledge the necessity of her actions as a spy, and prioritize results over sentimentality, you’ll begin to harden her. This doesn’t mean you have to be overtly cruel or evil; it’s more about fostering a sense of cold, calculated efficiency within her.
A hardened Leliana is more receptive to questioning her faith. You can discuss the nature of the Maker and even suggest that she might be misinterpreting divine guidance. An unhardened Leliana, conversely, doubles down on her faith, becoming more dogmatic in her beliefs. Most notably, the choice to defile the Urn of Sacred Ashes will be met with her instant opposition. When the player has Leliana in the party to defile the Urn of Sacred Ashes, and she is unhardened, she will turn on you instantly. If she is hardened you’ll be able to talk her down.
Inquisition: The Divine Prospect
The consequences of your choices in Dragon Age: Origins extend to Dragon Age: Inquisition, particularly if Leliana becomes a candidate for Divine. A hardened Leliana will approach the role with a steely resolve, unafraid to use force or manipulation to maintain order and enforce her vision of the Chantry. This Divine Leliana is more likely to employ assassins, spies, and covert operations to silence dissent and crush opposition.
Conversely, a softened Leliana as Divine focuses on reform and reconciliation. She seeks to negotiate with dissenting factions, prioritize diplomacy over violence, and create a more inclusive and compassionate Chantry.
Personality and Dialogue
Throughout the games, a hardened Leliana will generally approve of decisions that prioritize pragmatism and efficiency. She’s less likely to be bothered by morally grey actions and might even encourage them if she believes they serve a greater purpose. Her dialogue also reflects this shift, becoming more direct, less sentimental, and sometimes even ruthless. You’ll notice a distinct difference in how she approaches problems and interacts with other characters.
Hardened vs. Softened: A Table
| Feature | Hardened Leliana | Softened Leliana |
|---|---|---|
| —————- | —————————————————— | ——————————————————- |
| Faith | More open to questioning, less dogmatic | Stronger faith, more dogmatic |
| Morality | Prioritizes results, accepting of morally grey actions | Values compassion and diplomacy |
| Tactics | Willing to use force, manipulation, and espionage | Prefers negotiation and reconciliation |
| Dialogue | Direct, pragmatic, sometimes ruthless | Empathetic, compassionate, idealistic |
| As Divine | Ruthless, maintains order through force | Reforming, seeks reconciliation and inclusivity |
| Approval | Favors pragmatic and efficient choices | Prefers morally good and compassionate choices |
| Defiling Ashes | Can be talked down | Instantly turns on you |
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Can I romance a hardened Leliana?
No. Hardening allows for certain other options, but is not required to romance her. You can’t bed her until after you resolve her personal quest. However, hardening isn’t directly tied to the romance itself. You can still pursue a romance with Leliana regardless of whether she’s hardened or softened, as long as you maintain high approval.
2. How do I harden Leliana in Dragon Age: Origins?
Focus on her personal quest. Encourage her to embrace her past, validate her skills as an assassin, and downplay the importance of faith and compassion. Choose dialogue options that suggest that the ends justify the means.
3. Does killing Marjolaine automatically harden Leliana?
Not automatically, but it’s a significant step. The key is how you speak to Leliana afterward. If you console her and tell her Marjolaine had to be stopped and her past actions were justified, it contributes to hardening her. You can harden Leliana afterwards if you kill Marjolaine.
4. What happens if Leliana becomes Divine and she’s hardened?
A hardened Divine Leliana will rule the Chantry with an iron fist. She’ll be willing to use extreme measures to maintain control, silence dissent, and enforce her vision of the Chantry. This can involve assassinations, political manipulation, and military force.
5. What happens if Leliana becomes Divine and she’s softened?
A softened Divine Leliana will focus on reform and reconciliation. She’ll prioritize diplomacy, seek to mend rifts within the Chantry, and strive to create a more inclusive and compassionate institution.
6. Is it better to harden or soften Leliana?
There’s no objectively “better” choice. It depends on your personal preferences and the kind of world you want to create in Dragon Age. A hardened Leliana is arguably more effective in achieving certain goals, but at the cost of morality. A softened Leliana might be less efficient but represents a more hopeful vision for the future.
7. Does hardening Leliana affect her ending in Dragon Age: Origins?
Yes. Her ending reflects the choices you made regarding her character development. A hardened Leliana’s ending will likely involve her continuing to operate in the shadows, using her skills for the greater good (as she sees it), while a softened Leliana’s ending will emphasize her faith and her desire to help others.
8. What are some specific dialogue options that harden Leliana?
During her personal quest, when discussing Marjolaine, choose options that:
- Validate her past actions as a spy.
- Suggest that Marjolaine was a threat that needed to be eliminated.
- Downplay the importance of guilt and remorse.
9. How does hardening Leliana affect her relationship with other characters?
It depends on the other characters. Someone like Alistair might disapprove of a hardened Leliana, while Morrigan might find her more pragmatic approach appealing. A hardened Liliana will be more accepting of some of your “evil” decisions like Alistair.
10. Can I reverse the hardening process?
To some extent, yes. By consistently choosing dialogue options that emphasize compassion, faith, and diplomacy, you can gradually soften Leliana, even if you’ve initially hardened her. However, the initial impact of your earlier choices will still have lasting effects on her personality.
11. Can Leliana die in Dragon Age: Origins?
Yes, she can. Like any other companion, Leliana can die in combat if she’s defeated. Additionally, certain choices you make, particularly regarding the Urn of Sacred Ashes, can lead to her turning hostile and potentially being killed by the Warden.
12. If Leliana dies in DAO and becomes Divine in DAI, what happens?
If players killed Leliana in Dragon Age: Origins and then made her the Divine, she does not disappear, but the implication remains that some sort of Lyrium Ghost has become the Divine Victoria, and that, unbeknownst to many, the Chantry and the Fade are now more intimately connected than before.
13. Is Leliana a good candidate for Divine?
Whether Cassandra or Leliana is a better divine: She is skilled at the Game of Orlais as well. Cassandra is far less passionate and is known to be not good at socializing with people. In fact, Cassandra hates the politics of Thedas and prefers solving problems with a blade. Due to Leliana’s social prowess and actual desire to be Divine, she may do a much better job. It depends on your goals and the world state. A softened Leliana makes a more compassionate Divine, but a hardened one may be more effective in stabilizing a chaotic situation. Ultimately, the “best” choice is subjective.
14. What approval rating does Leliana require to begin a romance?
Leliana requires high approval ratings to begin a romance, so you’ll need to give her a lot of appropriate gift items.
15. Does hardening Leliana affect her specializations?
No, hardening Leliana does not directly affect her specializations. Her specializations are determined by the player’s choices independent of her personality.
Understanding the consequences of hardening Leliana allows you to craft a unique and personalized Dragon Age experience. Whether you prefer a compassionate and reforming Divine or a ruthless and pragmatic leader, the choice is yours. For more insights into the world of gaming and its impact on learning, visit the Games Learning Society at https://www.gameslearningsociety.org/.