Morrigan

{|class="morrigan2" Morrigan is a Witch of the Wilds, a clan of sorceresses who, at one time, terrorized the Korcari Wilds. She is willing to leave her home to become a companion to the Warden. Morrigan is also a romance option for male Wardens.

Background
Morrigan is supposedly the daughter of Flemeth -- a legendary and fearsome personage who has walked the Korcari Wilds for centuries. However, Morrigan consistently dismisses these tales and is reluctant (or unable) to confirm Flemeth's actual background. Morrigan generally dislikes the race of man, yet finds herself strangely intrigued by them. With the outbreak of the Blight, Flemeth commands Morrigan to join the Grey Wardens in their quest to save Ferelden.

Involvement
If Morrigan's approval becomes high enough and the Warden has given her the Black Grimoire as a gift, she will claim that Flemeth plans to kill her in order to prolong her own life. To prevent this, Morrigan asks the Warden to kill Flemeth. The Warden may then confront Flemeth in the Kocari Wilds, but only if Morrigan is not part of the current party. Flemeth will offer the Warden a choice of options, for more details see Flemeth's Real Grimoire

At the end, a difficult decision must be made. Most believe that a Grey Warden must die in order to defeat the Archdemon, yet Morrigan offers another option. If a male Grey Warden (a male PC, Alistair, or Loghain) lays with her, she will conceive a child possessing the taint. This dark ritual will ensure that the essence of the Archdemon is lured into the unborn child, rather than a Grey Warden. Morrigan believes that the child will survive and posses the soul of an Old God. This ritual, Morrigan claims, is the reason Flemeth rescued the Wardens and the reason Morrigan had to accompany them. If the ritual is refused Morrigan will leave the party immediately. If the ritual proceeds, she will stay for the final battle. Afterwards, Morrigan is not seen by the Warden again. However, The Warden can declare that they will find Morrigan. Bioware claims that we haven't seen the last of Morrigan and in the conversation where Morrigan offers The Warden her ring (The Warden "So I could find you, if need be?", Morrigan "I... Do not know. As I said, I never tested it. Perhaps.") it hints that you may see her again.

Romance
Morrigan may be the hardest character to please overall when compared to the other romance options for a male Warden, but unlike Leliana and Zevran, she is the easiest to bed, requiring an approval of just 30. She will like most of the random gifts found early in the game, but will disapprove of almost everything good the Warden does. To romance Morrigan successfully, the player either has to be somewhat evil or engage in good deeds whilst not in Morrigan's company, since choosing a negative outcome will more often than not decrease the approval of Leliana, Alistair, and Wynne.

When engaging her in conversation, it is important to remember that Morrigan values power above everything else. To get positive approval from her, one must agree to her "survival of the fittest" philosophy. She greatly despises anything that has to do with compassion and love.

If The Warden is pursuing a romance with both her and one other romance companion(Zevran or Leliana), she will confront the Warden and force him to choose. This will break the romance with the rejected companion and also lower the approval quite a bit. Note that this can happen the other way around. Leliana and/or Zevran will force you into an ultimatum the same way Morrigan does.

Morrigan will eventually give The Warden a unique ring in the course of romancing her. The ring is supposed to be a link between the two. After the completion of the Flemeth's Real Grimoire quest she will start to fear her affection towards him, prompting a conversation about love if her approval is high enough. There is a possibility that her approval may drop significantly during this conversation, or worse still break the relationship, unless the right dialogue path is chosen.

At the end of the game, the epilogue will state that "there came a night when he was sure that she was thinking of him... somewhere. She felt regret, and sorrow. But the ring told no more." There is no 'happily ever after' with Morrigan. She will leave the group immediately after the final battle, regardless of her approval rating.

Quest Given

 * Flemeth's Grimoire
 * Flemeth's Real Grimoire

Initial Statistics


On the PC, Morrigan starts as a mage with the following abilities

Specialization: Shapeshifter

Starting Talents: Spider Shape, Winter’s Grasp, Mind Blast, Vulnerability Hex, Disorient, Horror, Drain Life

Starting Skills: Herbalism, Improved Herbalism, Combat Training, Improved Combat Training

On the XBox 360, Morrigan starts as a level 6 mage with the following abilities

Specialization: Shapeshifter

Starting Attributes: Strength 14, Dexterity 15, Willpower 20, Magic 23, Cunning 12, Constitution 12

Starting Talents: Spider Shape, Winter’s Grasp, Frost Weapons, Lightning, Mind Blast, Vulnerability Hex, Disorient, Drain Life

Starting Skills: Herbalism, Improved Herbalism, Combat Training, Improved Combat Training, Expert Combat Training

Plot Skills and Plot Talent
As you befriend Morrigan and gain her approval she will gain additional skills, including the following:

Strategy
Morrigan’s early spells open up possibility for future combat dominance. Start out with the Cold chain and get to Cone of Cold and Blizzard as soon as possible. After Mind Blast, best thing is to increase your defense tenfold with Force Field (Because there will be situations where enemies are concentrating on Morrigan rather than other party members). Then get for Crushing Prison which is a powerful single-target root/damage spell. Build on her Entropy spells also and pick up Sleep, Waking Nightmare, and Death Cloud spells (try combined spells for greater damage). Also keep in mind that you can get Bear Shape at level 8, Flying Swarm at level 10, and Master Shapeshifter at level 12.

Most mages must stay in the rear to be effective but with Morrigan it is not the case. Use her ranged spells early, until your mana is low or the enemy engages in melee, then switch to one of your specialization forms and deal effective melee damage. Her spells are more powerful, but her adaptability to the ever-changing combat dynamics can also be very useful.

Quotes

 * (On first meeting with Morrigan in the Korcari Wilds.)
 * "Well, well, what have we here? Are you a vulture, I wonder? A scavenger poking amidst a corpse whose bones have been long since cleaned? Or merely an intruder, come into these darkspawn filled wilds of mine in search of... easy prey?"


 * (After Alistair comments on her friendliness, or lack thereof)


 * "I can be friendly when I desire to. Alas, desiring to be more intelligent does not make it so."


 * "The Chasind have tales of we witches... I have prowled shadows that you never dreamed existed. Am I an unnatural abomination to be put to the torch?"
 * "Apparently everyone seems to agree that a blight is the perfect time to start killing each other. Marvelous, really."
 * "And now we have a dog. And Alistair is still the stupidest member of the party."
 * (After Bella kissed the Warden)


 * "Kissing serving wenches, now? Perhaps you intend to roll around in the nearest pig pen, as well?"


 * "What is the name they have for mother and I? Apostates? Truly it boggles the mind."
 * "So the mages are all locked within? A fitting end for all those who gave up their own freedom."
 * (Upon arriving at Lake Calenhad Docks to head to Circle Tower)
 * "How very fitting that they would build a prison for mages in the middle of a lake and make it look like a giant phallus."


 * (After the shriek attack)


 * "What will they send next, darkspawn tax collectors?"

Dialogue

 * Morrigan's Dialogue

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 * Morrigan: "I see the stories they tell of Grey Warden endurance are not exaggerated."
 * Warden: "Do you really need to talk?"
 * Morrigan: (Chuckles) "Finished with me now, are you? Well, you do not get away so easily as that. I will have my way with you until I am satisfied. Out of a sense of fairness, if nothing else...
 * Murdock: "So you're the Grey Warden, are you? I didn't think they made women Grey Wardens ."
 * Warden: "I am a mage, as well, if it makes a difference."
 * Murdock: "Well, now, that's just great. As if we weren't nervous enough as it was, now we got magic too."
 * Morrigan: "More than you realize, even."

Cheat for Infinite Approval
Speak to the Chantry Mother in Lothering, and ask to her about releasing the caged prisoner. You are then able to use the repeatable INTIMIDATE dialogue option to gain infinite approval from Morrigan. Also you must fail the Dialogue Challenge each time to do this. Leliana must not be in your party when you do this or else she will settle the dispute and you'll be given the key.

Note: You can't have any Coercion skill at all, otherwise the Chantry Mother will give you the key the first time you use the INTIMIDATE option. If you already have Coercion skill, you can remove it using Console. Which you could use to increase Morrigan's approval to 100 in one entry.

Also note that this cheat does not work for the PS3 and XBOX 360 version. It will give you a +4 approval with Morrigan, but you will lose approval with Alistair if he is in the party.

In Orzammar, there is a trader in the commons who sells a 'Golden Mirror' as a gift. If this is given to Morrigan, it will trigger a cutscene and you will gain +16 approval if you answer the dialogue politely.

Shapeshifter
Discuss something personal. Ask her why she's still here. Ask if she wants to leave.

Other options risk making her leave, but this one doesn't, at least not at this approval level.

This will give a -10 approval. Do this twice from her original approval and you'll have the shapeshifter discussion unlocked.

Trivia

 * According to Mary Kirby, "she best symbolizes the world and the conflicts within it."
 * Actress Kate Mulgrew, who plays Morrigan's mother Flemeth, has said that "Morrigan is innocent. She is beautiful. She is vulnerable."
 * When asked to compare a list of NPC companions to food, BioWare employee Cori May described Morrigan as "the darkest of dark chocolates; bitter but rich."
 * If the party was going out for a drink, writer Sheryl Chee has said, Morrigan would "refuse to partake in any such foolishness."
 * She is also a star of the Penny Arcade Dragon Age comic, along with Flemeth.
 * Morrigan is one of the only party members (along with Sten) to recognize that the dream the sloth demon creates in the fade isn't real. She is able to recognize this because of her high willpower and because the sloth demon did a poor job at copying Flemeth.
 * Morrigan is modeled after Victoria Johnson.
 * Morrigan is an Irish name meaning "great queen". Morrigan shares her name with the goddess of war and death of Irish mythology who often took the form of a crow. The Morrigan of Irish lore appears as both, a young and beautiful woman as well as an old and ugly one. Possibly this was an inspiration in creating Flemeth.
 * David Gaider was heavily influenced by Morgan Le Fay of Arthurian legend when he wrote Morrigan's character.
 * During the Epilogue, a dog, similar to the one into which Morrigan shapeshifts if she leaves the Warden, can be seen at the exit door near Sten and Dog.