14 DAY TRIAL // There's no better way to relief the tension of late game adventuring, with important characters asking the player to make big decisions, than to listen the dwarf Varric and the mage Anders talk about Templar jokes and their ability to make life under the yoke of the Chantry more bearable.
Banter, with two or three party characters eliminating the drudgery of traveling across the world by offering a big of dialog for the player to enjoy, was one of the small innovations that BioWare pushed hard in Dragon Age: Origins.
The mechanic is further refined in Dragon Age 2 and the talks between the three non-player party members offer some of the best writings in the game.
Initially it's all about laughs, getting to know each other and revealing uncomfortable truths (like the lack of experience in the matters of love of certain characters), but as the game progresses the talks begin to grow to become more weighty and the subjects become more mature.
As the late game comes around the banter becomes more like a small philosophical discussion circle, with characters hinting at their positions (which they more clearly state in one-on-one conversations or reactions to player choices) and trying to persuade those who might not have seen the truth.
So, one of the best dialogs involves Anders, the apostate mage we know from Awakenings, and extra DLC character Sebastian Vael, one aligned to the freedom-seeking mages and one linked to the Chnatry, showing the player exactly how two very different positions can generate passion and surprisingly coherent arguments.
Still it's not all complex ideology discussion and bringing along Isabela or Varric always brightens up the mood, but it's also an occasion to see how their flirting and their humor are just defense mechanisms that protect them from the harsh destinies that await them.
In my second playthrough I will try to use Fenris and Aveline more, although their personalities seem too serious and moody to create interesting dialog.