Anders

Anders is a mage who has escaped from the Circle of Magi and is a potential companion in Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening. Despite his circumstances he has a rather laid-back and care-free attitude and doesn't let dire circumstances get him down.

Background
As an adolescent he was taken to the Circle Tower by the templars, which he despised as he compared it to a prison. He's a very talented mage and has escaped from the tower seven times, only to be captured and brought back by the templars. Despite accusations that he is a Maleficar, he is only an apostate and wants nothing more than to be free.

Involvement
{{SpoilerDAO| Anders is found during the opening quest to regain Vigil's Keep. He has killed many darkspawn, but may have also killed templars (this remains unclear). You can ask him to join you and he will do so. Alternatively, you can choose to let him escape when you first meet him and still have a chance to recruit him later on on the rooftop of Vigil's Keep. You'll find him spying on the Withered and Seneschal Varel, at which point he'll warn you about the danger that lies ahead and confess that he came back because he wanted to help defend people against the darkspawn.

After the opening quest is completed you can choose to make him undergo the Joining ritual; he will survive the ritual and become a Grey Warden.

Epilogue
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 * If left to defend the Keep, Anders will be hailed a hero by the few survivors of Vigil's Keep by using his magic to hold off hundreds of darkspawn. He gets invited by the men to engage in a drinking contest. He loses.
 * Anders will remain with the Grey Wardens to train the Order's next generation of mages. When he is called by the Circle of Magi to deliver a lecture on the nature of the Architect - much to the templars' dismay -, he tells the Commander of the Grey that his time with the Order is over. However, not two months later, he returns and the Wardens remain his home and lasting companions.
 * If Anders' companion quest is not complete, he will be captured again when he resigns from the Wardens. With his phylactery secure, he is unable to evade the templars. After two subsequent escape attempts, he vanishes for a third and final time.
 * If left to defend the Keep without enough upgrades to it, he is found dead with an arrow through his neck with hundreds of darkspawn dead in a circle around him; none were touched with a blade, but all were felled by magic.

Initial Statistics
Class: Mage

Specialization: Spirit Healer

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

Dialogue Points
Below are the spots where you can initiate dialogue with Anders. On the PC, 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. This list is incomplete; please add to it if you know more locations.
 * Vigil's Keep: The statue of Andraste in the middle of the courtyard
 * Kal'Hirol - Trade Quarter: A basket of lyrium at the far end of the forge area (where the repair anvil is)
 * City of Amaranthine: A pine tree on the left side of the path just before the first gate

Quotes
Anders: "So is death. I'm just saying.'"
 * "After my seventh escape attempt, you think they'd of given me credit for trying."
 * "All I want is a pretty girl, a decent meal, and the right to shoot lightning at fools."
 * "It's a pleasant stroll through the park--with darkspawn!"
 * "Maker's breath, kitty. What have you been eating?"
 * Justice: "Apathy is a weakness."
 * (after seeing a pit filled with dead bodies in Wending Woods) "This place is a death trap! If I have to go into the bushes to answer natures call, you're coming with me!"
 * (Upon entering the Blackmarsh) "I'm scared. Hold me?"
 * "So, what do you do with a drunken sailor?"
 * "This "fun" you're talking about looks a bit more like "stupid" from over here."
 * (Upon first meeting Anders)"Uh.. I didn't do it"
 * "Oh, I know, I know. Most people enjoy being kicked in the head to be woken up each morning. Me, I'm just so picky."
 * "Magic isn't for your amusement! Why don't I just do a little dance? Anders' Spicy Shimmy?"
 * "It can talk!" - Seeing a Disciple for the first time at Vigil's Keep.

Trivia

 * Greg Ellis also voices Cullen, a templar.
 * Anders seems to have the same hairstyle and earring as Duncan.
 * Though he uses a fire spell when you first meet him, he does not have the spell when he joins your party.
 * If Anders specializes in Blood Magic, the player can have another additional line of dialogue with Anders when speaking about Anders' past with the templars. When Anders remarks there really isn't much of a reason to arrest him, the Warden can point out that Anders is an actual blood mage now, to which Anders will laugh.
 * Anders is German for different in the meaning of "different from the others".

External Link

 * Anders Companion Trailer