Oghren

"As one of the blighters, I sodding salute you. Let us show them our hearts, and then show them theirs."

Oghren is a crude dwarven berserker fond of all things alcoholic. He is a companion to the Warden in Dragon Age: Origins and a possible one to the Warden-Commander in Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening.

Background
Oghren used to be one of the best warriors of his generation and member of House Kondrat in Orzammar. He married a smith caste girl named Branka, who would later become a Paragon. Soon after its founding, House Branka absorbed the entire House Kondrat. Branka later took her household, with the sole exception of her husband, into the Deep Roads in search of the secrets of the legendary smith Caridin. They were not heard from again. Oghren, left behind, became a laughingstock. He started drinking even more heavily than he already did, making his situation worse as one day the youngest son of Lord Meino mentioned that it is impossible for Branka and her house to have survived for that long in the Deep Roads. Oghren considered this as an insult to the Paragon, challenged his honor, and killed him in a first-blood match while drunk. Oghren was stripped of his house name and barred from bearing weapons within the city, a punishment considered worse than exile for a warrior. Oghren has spent the last two years trying to convince the Assembly, or anyone else who will listen to him, to look for Branka in the Deep Roads. Oghren also knows Gorim Saelac, the second of the Dwarf Noble, because the latter has thrown Oghren out of the royal palace a couple of times. Their relationship is not bitter; however, there is some antagonizing.

Quests
Origins

Awakening

Dragon Age: Origins
Oghren's approval will increase when you give him any alcohol, especially Ale. The one exception is Wine, which is preferred by Wynne.

Dragon Age: Awakening
Oghren continues to enjoy alcoholic gifts in the Awakening expansion.

Attributes
Relative attribute weightings on auto-level:

Restricted gear
(Origins) (Awakening)

Dialogue points
Below are the spots where you can initiate dialogue with Oghren in Awakening. On the PC version, it can be hard to find the correct spot to click; make sure to hit "tab" and rotate the camera if it's not letting you click on it. Within Vigil's keep, if dialogue doesn't initiate when clicking on Oghren, try clicking the cask behind him.


 * City of Amaranthine: Billboard by the stairs to the Chantry.
 * City of Amaranthine: The table of the weapon-smith in the market district (when talking to Sigrun).
 * Kal'Hirol - Trade Quarter: The anvil in the prison room.
 * Kal'Hirol: Cliff by the entrance of the Thaig, just if Sigrun not joined the party.
 * The Blackmarsh Undying: boat in the area you wake up in. There is an alternative dialogue if the Warden is imported and Oghren was trapped in the Fade in the Circle of Magi.
 * Vigil's Keep - Throne Room: The cask behind Oghren in the throne room, which can be used to initiate several conversations.

Dragon Age: Origins

 * "If you've ever heard of me before, it's probably all been about how I piss ale and murder little boys who look at me wrong. And that's mostly true..."
 * "Misery, vomit and malt liquor. Ah, reminds me of home."
 * "This is it, Warden. 'When from the blood of battle the Stone has fed, let the heroes prevail and the blighters lie dead.' As one of the blighters, I sodding salute you. Let us show them our hearts, and then show them theirs."
 * "By the tits of my ancestors!"
 * "That pot-bellied son-of-a-whore Teagan said I can't drink a whole barrel of pickle juice without passing out first. I aim to prove him wrong."
 * "My family is dead, my honor as a warrior long gone. I've lost my caste and my house and I have nothing else to lose."
 * "I wish people wanted to share me more often. Especially the ladies. I want more ladies to share me."
 * "Aye. I've tried twenty-seven different types of ale and learned I'm just the right height to give a human girl a good time. That doesn't make me a good man."

Dragon Age: Awakening

 * "No one touches Oghren's junk and lives!"
 * (Upon seeing the Mother) "That's a lot of nipples."
 * (In banter with Sigrun) "I'm like a cherry soaked in brandy. Plump...juicy...and full of intoxicating flavor."

Dialogue

 * Oghren: "I came here to join the Grey Wardens, and from the looks of it, you could use the extra hands! Where's the giant cup? I'll gargle and spit!"
 * The Warden-Commander: "You're not allowed to spit."
 * Oghren: "Heh. That's what I always say..."

Bugs

 * Infinite approval exploit: Take Oghren with you when you are confronting Dwyn before the The Attack at Nightfall. When trying to persuade Dwyn to fight for the village, choose "You're a coward," followed by "Stay in here, then, if you prefer." This will end the conversation, and you can start it again as many times as needed. Oghren will gain

Trivia

 * Oghren is the first companion to be available in two different games, the others being Anders and Varric.
 * Oghren was mostly written by Jay Turner, but Sheryl Chee also had a hand in writing him. Mary Kirby wrote his personal quest.
 * Although Oghren becomes a surface dwarf when he joins the Warden's party and leaves for the surface, he isn't forced to paint a tattoo on his face when the Warden and their party returns to Orzammar in order to indicate that he is a surfacer.
 * Although Oghren is barred from bearing arms in the city, nothing happens if you equip him with weapons in Orzammar. He even joins your party with an axe equipped.
 * When selected to defend the Keep in Awakening, his codex entry states he died when the darkspawn attacked. However with a fully upgraded Keep, the epilogue says he survived.
 * Oghren's "Asschabs" was added as a joke between the writers of Dragon Age: Origins. David Gaider would, "[a]t least once or twice a week, [...] come in [their offices] groaning about having "chair butt", which is essentially when your butt goes numb from sitting in your chair for too long". Someone then coined the name "Association of Chair Butt Sufferers"; its abbreviation, ASSCHABS, was then written on their whiteboard. At that time, Jay Turner was writing Oghren, and the word "would be staring at him. So since it sounds like something Oghren would say, he decided to make Oghren say it, to make sure ASSCHABS was never forgotten."
 * Oghren named his child after the Warden.
 * When he talks about his child, he calls it 'the Nugget'.
 * In a dialogue with the Warden he mentions that he feels bad about leaving Felsi and the child alone.
 * In Dragon Age II, a painting of Oghren's concept art can be seen near the bar at the Hanged Man.
 * Mary Kirby has playfully described Oghren as being like "creamed chipped beef that's been left in the fridge maybe a week too long".