Sten

"Either you have an enviable memory, or a pitiable life, to know nothing of regret."

Sten is a warrior of the Beresaad, the vanguard of the Qunari people in Dragon Age: Origins. He is a stoic and disciplined man with a strong code of ethics, 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. He is not a typical Qunari as he was born without horns.

Etymology
As with all Qunari, "Sten" is not a name; rather, it is a descriptor for rank and role. If Sten and Zevran are in the party together, they will have a conversation where Sten admits that "Sten" is not his name, but is rather his rank. Additionally, in Dragon Age II Hawke encounters several groups of Stens, whom are armored Qunari infantry. During the events of Those Who Speak the character known as Sten is the new Arishok, one of the three leaders of all Qunari.

Dragon Age: Origins
{{SpoilerDAO| 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 (as shown in some conversations with the warden's companions) and a fondness for cookies.

Sten is a fatalist, believing that the proper role of all people is determined at birth. He alludes to his fatalist beliefs in your very first encounter in camp, saying that he did not "choose" to be a warrior, just as you did not "choose the circumstances you find yourself in". If the Warden is female, Sten will extend to expressing that women have no place on the battlefield (he also expresses this opinion to Leliana, Morrigan and/or Wynne 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 {{Approval|-2}}.

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

 * 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 choose to join him for the journey; Sten will approve and say to meet him at the docks in a few days.
 * 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, The Warden.}}

Personality
Like all Qunari soldiers Sten values strength.

Of all the companions besides the Warden, Sten is the only one who 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 "You too, know what it is like to have a weapon that is a part of you. Few others do."

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 "helping it train."

When asked if there is anything he likes about Ferelden, you find out that Sten is fond of cookies, and wishes that his people would adopt them to their land. He refers to them, when asked, as "small, round, baked things, like bread but sweet and crumbly." If he is in the party when player speaks with Carrol about crossing to the Circle Tower, Sten will give him a plate of cookies that he stole from a child in the last village they passed through "for his own good", convincing Carrol to allow them passage.

Yet, in Those Who Speak, he refers to Alistair (king or not) as "Kadan" and "basalit-an", implying a respect for the man that never surfaced in past-conversation.

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.

Initial statistics
Relative attribute weightings on auto-level: strength 2, dexterity 0.25, willpower 0.25, magic 0.5, cunning 0, constitution 0

Class: Warrior

Specialization: None to start with

Skills: Survival (level 8), Improved Survival (level 12), Master Combat Training

Starting talents:


 * Warrior: Powerful, Threaten, Bravery (level 9) Precise Striking (level 6 Sten), Taunt (level 7)


 * Two-Handed: Pommel Strike, Indomitable, Stunning Blows (level 10), Critical Strike (level 11) Sunder Arms, Shattering Blows (level 12), Mighty Blow, Powerful Swings, Two-Handed Strength (level 8)

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

Quotes



 * "If I were indeed hostile, you would be bleeding."
 * "I like swords and I follow orders. What else is there?"
 * "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."
 * "Where is the cake? I was told there would be cake! The cake is a lie." (A reference to Portal when several writings on the wall indicate that GLaDoS tricked them with believing there is a cake if they pass the test).
 * "The Arishok asked me, 'what is the blight?'. Now, I stand looking into its very eyes and still I have no answer for him. Though I expect you do. You have carried us this far, do not doubt that."
 * "People are not simple. They cannot be summarized for easy reference in the manner of:"The elves are a lithe, pointy eared people who excel at poverty."
 * "I am a giant with a wardog. Either I am making a delivery, or I am besieging your fort. Hope for the former."
 * (When conversing with Shale) "There is worth in your life, Shale, There is value. But only if it is used."

Dialogue

 * Warden: "Is there anything you like about Ferelden?"
 * Sten: There is... interesting food here.
 * Sten: You have a thing... it doesn't have a word in the qunari tongue. Little baked things, like bread, but sweet, and crumbly.
 * Warden: "Cookies?"
 * Sten: "Yes. We have no such things in our lands. This should be remedied."


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


 * Warden: Don't you ever smile?
 * Sten: I am smiling.

Exploit 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 . Once you stop the loop, the conversation cannot be started again, so the glitch is a one-time occurrence.
 * After you have gotten his sword, you can do the conversation to start his quest another time without actually redoing the quest. You get a maximum of the first time, and then another  the second time.

Trivia



 * Sten's positive disposition towards cookies may be a reference to John Jones, the martian, from Smallvile. Season 9 episode 9. "On Mars, we never had dessert, but I have grown especially fond of cookies." -John Jones
 * In the Sacred Ashes Trailer, Sten is depicted with a prominent beard.
 * 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.
 * During the quest Sten's Lost Sword, if you take Sten with you to the Frostback Mountains to talk to Faryn, there will be a dialogue option where the Warden can tell Sten to "tear his arms off". This is a reference to the movie The Princess Bride, which has a scene where Inigo Montoya tells Fezzik the same thing while interrogating the Chief Enforcer who had the gate key. Alternatively, it could be a reference to Wookiees from Star Wars, who are also known to rip people's arms off when they are annoyed or enraged.
 * 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. However, Haven is clearly north of where the Blight originated.
 * During the epilogue, when the player tries to talk to Sten after the first time, he will exclaim "Where is the cake? I was told there would be cake. The cake is a lie." This is a reference to the video-game Portal, where the phrase "The Cake is a Lie" is written on walls predominantly through many of the game's levels.
 * In the game Mass Effect 2 (another Bioware game), during the battle for Horizon, a terrified colonist will exclaim "They got Sten, too!" This could be a reference to Dragon Age: Origins.
 * In The Darkspawn Chronicles DLC, Sten's specialization is the Reaver.
 * In modern Swedish and some other Scandinavian languages Sten literally means "rock" or "stone" and is also being used as a name.
 * In the game Minecraft for Xbox 360, Skin pack #4 includes a Sten skin.