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
Sten is not his actual name. Instead, it is a title meaning he is an infantry platoon commander in the Beresaad. If he trusts the Warden enough, he will reveal that he was sent with a group of other qunari to discover what the Blight is. His group was attacked by darkspawn and he was rendered unconscious. When he awoke, his comrades were dead and his sword was gone. To a qunari, their sword is their soul. If he were to return to his homeland without it he would be killed. Out of rage from losing his sword, he murdered the farmers who woke him with his bare hands.

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 to elaborate on discussions regarding his people or his predicament and most of his comments are terse. He is a firm believer in everyone having a fixed role in life determined by their birth; if The Warden is female, this belief will also be expressed by stating that a woman's place does not include the battlefield, but he may finally admit to being surprised by the Warden and their skills towards the end of the main quest.

In Redcliffe, recruiting people such as Lloyd and Berwick into the local militia appeals to Sten's views of honor and duty. However, if you chose 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 resulting in -10 approval.

When entering the Circle Tower, Sten will say something about how the Tower is unlike the "prison" the qunari keep their mages in. You can later ask him about mages in his homeland. Later in the library, Sten will make a comment about the people failing to hold onto their knowledge. You can later ask him about this which leads into a conversation about his people and the pursuit of wisdom.

If Sten is in the active party when they reach Haven, he may attempt to overrule the Warden and gain control of the group as he tires of the aimless wandering around. This conversation should occur just after speaking to the guard who tries to deter you from entering Haven. If the Warden can reason with him by means of sufficient coercion skills, it is possible to end this encounter without violence. To do so, the player must first choose the dialogue option "It'll never see this coming.", then "it will help stop Loghain." followed by "It's something I have to do" (might not be obligatory) and finally "He killed Duncan." This should result in +4 approval points. The subsequent dialogue options may still trigger a physical confrontation with Sten, if so, the best choice to his challenge is "What?" (the other two give -3 approval). After defeating him, his approval increases by an additional +7 points. Dissapointingly, you cannot kill him for attacking you. You can make him leave the party, however. Sometimes, if your approval with Sten is high enough, he will say he has "spoke his mind" and will not try to fight you. This can cause you to get or lose approval depending on what you said to him. Following the above choices will give approval, but most others will give varying disapproval.

As always, standing up to Sten (example responses including "I'm not here to impress you") will always gain approval points.

As with Dog, Oghren, Wynne and Shale, it is impossible to romance Sten.

Epilogue

 * At the end of the game at the crowning ceremony the player can talk to Sten before leaving. Sten will say he intends on going home to Seheron. The player can chose to join him. He'll approve and say to meet him at the docks in a few days.

Quests Given

 * Sten's Lost Sword.

Initial Statistics
Class: Warrior.

Specialization: None to start with.

Starting Talents:

Warrior: Powerful, Threaten, Precise Striking, Taunt.

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

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.

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 life, or a pitiable memory, to know nothing of regret."
 * "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."
 * "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."
 * (after Alistair's coronation) "Where is the cake? I was told there would be cake! The cake is a lie." (This is a refference to Portal, wherein Ratman says, 'the cake is a lie')
 * "There are a lot of things in Lothering that begin with G."

Dialogue



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

--
 * 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 cell?"
 * Sten: "Sitting, as you observed."

--


 * 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."

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


Hes the premature ejaculation of the game
 * Sten is one of the three companions who appears in the Sacred Ashes trailer.
 * 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 so than almost any other party member. He respects Dog as a strong warrior, and feels a sort of 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).
 * Sten loves cookies and once even stole some from a child, claiming that he was relieving the child of spoils (and that the child was fat and slovenly, thus he didn't need any more).
 * Sten also has a softer side, as demonstrated when Leliana catches him picking flowers, although Sten denied 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.
 * Sten's sword is named Asala which means "soul" in the qunari language.
 * Sten is the Swedish and Danish word for stone.
 * When Sten says "Where is the cake? I was told there would be cake. The cake is a lie.", it is a reference to the game Portal by Valve. With 'The Cake is a Lie' being written on walls predominantly through many of the game's levels.
 * Sten may also be a reference to "Sten the Ugly," of the fighters guild in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, because they are both large and wield two handed swords


 * Sten is the fastest dying member of your squad, sometimes even nicknamed: "the premature ejaculation of the game"