Sten

Sten is a warrior of the Beresaad, the vanguard of the qunari race. He is a stoic and disciplined man with a strong code of honor, and the way he treats others depends on whether or not they have his respect, which he does not give easily. He is a potential companion to the Warden and can only be recruited in Lothering.

Background
{{DAOSpoiler| If Sten trusts the Warden enough, Sten will begin to reveal his past. Sten is not his real name, but a title for infantry platoon commanders in the Beresaad. He was sent with a group of other qunari to discover what the Blight is. His group was attacked by darkspawn, and during the battle he was rendered unconscious. When he awoke, his comrades were dead and his sword was gone. To a qunari warrior, the sword is the soul (the name of Sten's sword, Asala, literally means soul). If he were to return to his homeland without his sword, he would be hunted and killed. Out of rage from losing his sword, he murdered with his bare hands the farmers who woke him from unconsciousness.

Involvement
The Warden can choose to have Sten join the party after freeing him from Lothering in the quest The Qunari Prisoner. Sten is a strong, proud and noble warrior who refuses at first to elaborate on discussions regarding his people or his reason for being in Ferelden. Most of his comments are terse or laconic, but he does seem to have a modicum of a sense of humor, and a fondness for cookies.

Sten is a determinist, believing that the proper rule of all people is determined at birth. If the Warden is female, will extend to Sten expressing that women have no place on the battlefield (he also expresses this opinion to Leliana during banter conversation), though he can come to be impressed by a female Warden's skills.

In Redcliffe, recruiting Lloyd and Berwick into the local militia appeals to Sten's views of honor and duty, even if it requires resorting to intimidation. However, if the Warden chooses to travel to the Circle of Magi to get the mages' assistance in entering the Fade to save Connor, and Sten is in the active party when the mages start the ceremony, he will express a disgust for magic.

As he carries himself with a self-assured, hardened demeanor, and has a tall and imposing physique, Leliana is surprised to discover through banter conversation that Sten does have a softer side, and he can develop a perhaps unexpected fondness for Dog. However, as with Oghren, Wynne and Shale, Sten cannot be romanced.

Standing up to Sten during conversation usually results in an increase in his approval of the Warden.

Dissatisfaction with the Warden
If Sten is in the active party when the party reaches Haven, he may attempt to resist the Warden and gain control of the group as he tires of "aimless" wandering. This conversation should occur just after speaking to the guard who tries to deter the Warden from entering Haven. This can result in several possible outcomes:
 * If the Warden can reason with Sten by means of sufficient coercion skills, it is possible to end this encounter without violence.
 * Without sufficient Coercion skills, Sten will attack the Warden. The altercation cannot end in Sten's death, but the Warden can make Sten leave the party.
 * Having high approval can result in Sten not taking the dispute to blows, and he will state that he has spoken his mind.
 * With very high approval, the Warden can simply ask Sten to be trusting. The correct dialogue choice can reveal that Sten trusts the Warden with his life.
 * Having not yet completed Sten's quest, The Sword of the Beresaad, will reduce the number of dialogue options available during this conversation, as well as opportunities to gain approval points.
 * As with other conversations with Sten, standing up to him will gain approval points.

Epilogue
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 * Depending on the Warden's choices in handling the end-game dilemma, the Warden can talk to Sten before leaving. Sten will say he intends on going home to Seheron. The player can chose to join him for the journey; Sten will approve and say to meet him at the docks in a few days.

Gifts
Sten has a liking for paintings. This may seem uncharacteristic of him but his appreciation is actually based in his being impressed by the artist's control of the brush. The official strategy guide likens an artist's discipline to that of a warrior. Sten also likes gifts found by Dog, i.e. the Found Cake or the Dirty Pair of Pantaloons.

Initial Statistics
Relative Attribute Weightings on Auto-Level: Strength 2, Dexterity 0.25, Willpower 0.25, Magic 0, Cunning 0, Constitution 1.2.

Class: Warrior.

Specialization: None to start with.

Skills: Combat Training level 4

Starting Talents:

Warrior: Powerful, Threaten, Precise Striking, Taunt.

Two-Handed: Pommel Strike, Indomitable, Sunder Arms, Mighty Blow, Powerful Swings.

Plot Skills
As you befriend Sten and gain his approval, he will gain additional skills:

Quotes

 * "These mages have an unnatural preoccupation with women holding bowls."
 * "If I were indeed hostile, you would be bleeding."
 * "I like swords, I follow orders; there's nothing else to know about me."
 * "Either you have an enviable memory, or a pitiable life, to know nothing of regret."
 * (upon seeing the Urn of Sacred Ashes) "Congratulations! You have found a wastebin."
 * "No one has a place here. Your farmers wish to be merchants. The merchants dream of being nobles, and the nobles become warriors. No one is content to be who they are."
 * "Happiness is fragile. Nothing can be built upon it that will last. Only duty endures."
 * "I thought their warriors would have at least been taller."
 * (during Captured!) "Are we being subtle now? I couldn't tell."
 * "What is -- parshaara. Perhaps it will be safer to study the floor."
 * (upon entering Tapster's Tavern in Orzammar) "Is this... some sort of mass suicide?"
 * (upon approaching the Deep Roads in Orzammar) "Why would such a small people make things so tall? They must own an impressive array of ladders."
 * (upon approaching the Wonders Of Thedas shop in Denerim) "Hmm, Wonders of Thedas. What do they sell, geography questions?
 * "There are a lot of things in Lothering that begin with G."
 * (upon entering the puzzle chamber in the Temple of Andraste) "The Blight ravages the land, and here we are playing with switches and stepping stones."
 * (upon seeing the Circle Tower from the Lake Calenhad Docks) "Humans over-compensating, as always."
 * (Sten consoles a widow) "The man you love has died. It seems you could have chosen better."
 * "Where is the cake? I was told that there would be cake. The cake is a lie."
 * "Some architect clearly suffered from an unrequited love for the blunted arch."
 * "Some architect clearly suffered from an unrequited love for the blunted arch."

Dialogue



 * Warden "Cookies?"
 * Sten: "Yes. We have no such things in our lands. This should be remedied."

(When entering the Circle Tower for the first time.)
 * Warden: "Can't we work something out?"
 * Carroll: "Hmm... I don't know. Y'know, I am feeling a little peckish, though.
 * Warden: "There must be food at the tower lets go."
 * Sten: "Parshaara! Here! Munch on these if you like."
 * Carroll: "Ooh, cookies!"
 * Sten: "I am content to part with them if it saves us from this fool."
 * Warden: "Where'd you get those?"
 * Sten: "There was a child--a fat, slovenly thing--in the last village we passed. I relieved him of these confections. He did not need anymore."
 * Warden: "You stole cookies from a child?"
 * Sten: *dead serious* "For his own good."


 * Warden: "Tell me about the qunari."
 * Sten: "No."
 * Warden: "Well, that wasn't what I expected to hear."
 * Sten: "Get used to disappointment. People are not simple. They cannot be defined for easy reference in the manner of: 'the elves are a lithe, pointy-eared people who excel at poverty.'"


 * Warden: "What were you doing in the cage?"
 * Sten: "Sitting, as you observed."


 * Warden: "Why is Ferelden so..terrible?"
 * Sten: "The Smell of wet dogs."
 * Warden: "Dogs don't smell that bad..."
 * Sten: "Skunks don't mind the smell of other skunks either."


 * Warden: "There is wisdom in the Chant, you know."
 * Sten: "Then it should be released into the wild. It is in danger of dying out."


 * Sten: "I don't understand. You look like a woman."
 * Warden: "Are you flirting with me, Sten?"


 * Sten: "Flirting? I don't know this word. Speak the common tongue."


 * Warden: "Maybe the Tal-Vashoth have a point."
 * Sten: "Undoubtably. They've used it to kill countless people."

Cheat for Infinite Approval
Once Sten has joined the party speak to him until the option "Why did you come to Ferelden?" appears in the list of questions. Continue the conversation with any of the listed options until the option "Why would the qunari care about the Blight?" appears. Select it then select "I'm a Grey Warden. It's my job." Then select "Did you find the answer to his question." Now the option "Why would the qunari..." will appear again creating a loop. Each loop is worth 4 approval.

Trivia



 * Sten is norwegian for 'stone' and also a name in Norway, Denmark and Sweden.
 * Sten is an old norse name.
 * Sten is one of the three companions who appears in the Sacred Ashes trailer. Of the characters featured in the trailer, he is the only one to have no dialogue.
 * Of all the companions besides the Warden, Sten only seems to genuinely like and respect Shale, as he calls her kadan, the same title he bestows on the Warden.
 * Sten also seems to be very fond of Dog, more than most other party members. He respects Dog as a strong warrior, and feels a sort of a kinship with him. After recovering his sword, he has a brief encounter with Dog (triggered by the Warden initiating a conversation with Dog) which ends with Sten saying "I see that you, too, know what it is like to have a weapon that is a part of you." (or something to that effect).
 * As part of the ending, if the Warden made the ultimate sacrifice and Sten was at "Friendly" approval, it is revealed that he bowed before the Warden's remains. Also, when he returned to Par Vollen (the qunari homeland) his Beresaad brothers asked him if he met anyone honorable while he was in Ferelden, to which he replied he only ever met one.
 * Sten also has a softer side, as demonstrated when Leliana catches him picking flowers; although Sten denies it, claiming he picked them for their medicinal properties. There's also another instance in which Leliana catches him playing with a kitten, although Sten claims he was "training" it.
 * If the Warden asks Sten what he was doing in the cage, he would reply that he was sitting, but in the Warden's first encounter with him, you can clearly see that he was standing.
 * If Sten and Zevran are engaged in a conversation, Zevran will say that Sten is not his name, it is his rank. Sten will only reply that Sten is what he is. The Warden can also learn this while appearing in Sten's nightmare, as his comrades will call him "the Sten". If the Warden asks why they call him this, he will state "For the same reason they call you the Warden." If you pick "We're working together" in the very first conversation with him and get to asking "What made you decide to become a soldier?" he will say "Decide? I am a Sten of the Beresaad. I did not choose to be who I am any more than you did.".
 * Sten's sword is named Asala, which means "soul" in the qunari language.
 * When Sten says "Where is the cake? I was told there would be cake. The cake is a lie," it is a reference to Portal by Valve Corporation. "The Cake is a Lie" is written on walls predominantly through many of the game's levels.
 * When Sten challenges the Warden in Haven, he will state that they are going north; however, the map clearly indicates that Andraste's Ashes are to the southwest.
 * A scared colonist says halfway through one of his lines of dialogue that "They got Sten too!" on Horizon's Reach in Mass Effect 2.
 * Sometimes in your travels, Sten will comment on various things troughout Ferelden. If you then enter dialog with Sten, and choose the dialog option: "I want to discuss something you mentioned." a brand new set of dialog options related to his comment will appear.
 * Sten is the only character in the game who can only learn one specilization rather than two (excluding the dog and Shale who are unique warrior specs who learn no other). He is also the only character who has no specilization to begin with. As such, some fans choose to give him the Reaver Spec to make him unique, as well as working well with his focus more on two-handed weapons.
 * Sten and Oghren are the only two characters in the game who start off with two-handed weapon skills. None of the Warden's origins give him/her it from the start, Alistair starts with sword and shield skills, Leliana starts with archery skills, and Zevran uses dual weapons.