Gifts (Origins)

__NOWYSIWYG__ Gifts can be sold to merchants or given to certain companions to influence their approval ratings. The party members appreciate their gifts, more or less, depending on each gift's value and their personal motivations. There is a limited number of gifts in the game. Also, with each additional gift given to the same character, the approval bonus you get from each subsequent gift decreases by 1 (to a minimum of ) per gift, excluding plot-specific ones.

Gift Mechanics
You can give gifts to each character by:

The approval from gifts works as follows:

Specific Gifts
These specific gifts give a base (with diminishing returns, as explained above) when given to the proper character, with the exception of the plot-specific gifts. If a gift is specific to a certain character, attempts to give it to anyone else will be met with refusal.

+ See below console game issue with Shale's gifts.

Gifts for Alistair
Alistair has a preference for strange rune-stones and figural studies of arcane creatures. Duncan's Shield will turn into a real item and Alistair will automatically equip it. Therefore if you have Alistair using a two handed sword, you'll have to go into his weapon set and give him a sword or remove the shield and re-equip the two handed weapon.

Gifts for Dog
Dog has a preference for foods and bones, but his approval rating will always be 100% so you can boost one of your other companions' ratings with gifts originally meant for Dog. If you talk to the dog after giving him one of those gifts, he will usually find a good item.

Gifts for Leliana
Leliana has a preference for holy symbols of Andraste, as well as shoes.

Gifts for Morrigan
Morrigan has a preference for gifts of jewelry and those items relating to her own appearance.

Gifts for Oghren in Dragon Age: Origins
Oghren has a preference for alcoholic beverages.

Gifts for Shale
Shale has a preference for the nine “remarkable” gemstones that can be found in Ferelden.

Gifts for Sten
Sten has a preference for paintings. Sten will not automatically equip Asala. If you want him to use this sword, you will have to equip it on him yourself.

Gifts for Wynne
Wynne has a preference for books and scrolls.

Gifts for Zevran
Zevran has a preference for leather items and bars of precious metals. He is also one of only two characters to automatically make use of the gifts you give him. Once you give him the Dalish Gloves and the Antivan Leather Boots, he will equip them, which might ruin any armour set bonuses he was receiving.

Gifts for the Secret Companion
The secret companion (spoiler alert) has a preference for maps of Thedas.

Gifts for Anders
Anders has a preference for shiny things.

Gifts for Oghren in Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening
Oghren has a preference for alcoholic beverages.

Gifts for Nathaniel
Nathaniel has a preference for artifacts from the Howe estate.

Gifts for Sigrun
Sigrun has a preference odd trinkets.

Gifts for Velanna
Velanna has a preference for natural objects and elvish literature.

Gifts for Justice
Justice has a preference for spiritual objects.

Generic Gifts
These gifts always give a base (with diminishing returns) and are not specific to any one person.

Gifts Found By Dog
Gifts found by dog of the type, for the list of items found by Dog go, here.

Duplicates of plot gifts
It is possible to get two of the Golden Mirrors and three Golden Rope Necklaces for Morrigan, as well as three Andraste's Graces for Leliana. Morrigan will give you the same conversational response the second time you give it to her as the first and you will get the same amount of approval points, while Leliana treats subsequent gifts as gifts without the cinematic conversation.

Lookup table
There are two types of gifts: regular and favored gifts. Regular gifts have a base approval bonus of ; favored gifts have a base approval bonus of for certain NPCs. (See above for further details.)

Legend:

Prefer shows the companion who will value the gift the most.