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- See also: Friendship and Rivalry
Although it is possible to play through Dragon Age: Origins using only the character you create, the game is designed around a party containing the player Warden and as many as three additional companions. These three additional party members may be selected from among the many prospective companions encountered throughout Ferelden. Your party members are not just important for combat; they often have personal connections to your quests and may ask for your help with quests of their own. They also have very different personalities. Thus actions that please some companions may also simultaneously displease others. Gaining or losing the approval of companions will often have significant effects within the game. Nevertheless, when you disagree with your companions on matters of substance, you can often make up for it through gifts, particularly ones that they find personally meaningful.
Only the ten full companions in Origins and the seven full companions in Awakening have approval ratings; temporary companions who may join your party do not. A character’s approval rating can be viewed on his or her character record. The lowest possible approval rating is 
(-100), the highest possible is 
(+100), and the initial approval rating for new "full" companions is 0. (Temporary companions do not have an approval bar on their character sheets.) When party members’ approval ratings rise, additional conversation opportunities will open up. These provide the opportunity to get to know your companions better. They may also lead to new quest options or, for certain characters, the possibility of romance. Regardless of the numerical approval rating, most companions will not shift to the final stage ("friendly" or "love") on the scale listed below until their personal quest has been completed.
When a party member’s approval falls, however, bonuses degrade and you risk abandonment or betrayal. If approval reaches critical (-100), the companion will try to leave the party. You will have a single chance to talk him/her out of it, which you won't be given should they reach crisis for a second time. Alistair can not be made to leave the party before the Landsmeet, however.
Approval Rankings
As your approval increases (or decreases), their feelings towards you will also change. Initially, they are at "Neutral" upon joining. As it changes, their greetings and dialogue will change slightly to reflect their relationship to you, depending on approval rating and whether or not you are in a romance.
| Approval Rating | Disposition | Romance |
|---|---|---|
| (-100) | Crisis | Interested |
| -99 - -26 | Hostile | |
| -25 - 25 | Neutral | |
| 26 - 50 | Warm | |
| 51 - 70 | Care | |
| 71 - 75 | Adore | |
| 76 - 90 | Friendly | |
| 91 - 100 | Love |
Regardless of the numerical value, romanced companions will not reach "Love" until their personal quests are completed. Neither will most non-romanced companions reach "Friendly" until their quests are also completed. Note that there are some exceptions: your dog will always be at 100 (Friendly) approval no matter what, and Secret Companion will never go above "Warm".
Approval and Attribute Bonuses
Characters who are confident in your leadership may also earn attribute bonuses to their primary attribute, ranging from "minor" through "moderate" and "major" to "massive", depending on approval rating as follows:
| Approval Rating | Bonus to Stat |
|---|---|
| 25% | +1 |
| 50% | +2 |
| 75% | +4 |
| 90% | +6 |
The attribute that is increased depends on the character, and is usually related to their role.
- Alistair gets a bonus to constitution.
- Leliana gets a bonus to cunning.
- Morrigan gets a bonus to magic.
- Oghren gets a bonus to constitution.
- Secret Companion gets a bonus to strength.
- Shale gets a bonus to strength.
- Sten gets a bonus to strength.
- Wynne gets a bonus to willpower.
- Zevran gets a bonus to dexterity.
Approval and Party Members
Dragon Age: Origins does not posses a "morality scale" akin to other popular RPGs like Fable and Mass Effect, but the approval of your party members can often reflect morality. Alistair, Leliana, and Wynne tend to approve of moral choices where the player goes out of their way to help all the characters they encounter and spare the life of innocents. Morrigan, and Zevran appear to be more in favor of darker and brutal choices. Sten occasionally approves when the player makes more logical choices. Oghren, Shale, and your dog appear more neutral.
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Approval/Disapproval Dialogues in Origins
The Warden and Companion Dialogues
- Alistair/Dialogue
- Leliana/Dialogue
- Morrigan/Dialogue
- Shale/Dialogue
- Sten/Dialogue
- Wynne/Dialogue
- Zevran/Dialogue
- Oghren/Dialogue
- Secret Companion/Dialogue
Encounter Dialogues
- The Hungry Deserter
- Lothering Merchant
- Broken Circle: Templar Quarters
- Redcliffe Castle - Basement
- Lost in the Castle
- Finding Valena
- Redcliffe Castle - Basement
- Redcliffe Castle - Arl of Redcliffe
- Kolgrim
- Return to Ostagar
- The Chant in the Deeps
Approval/Disapproval Dialogues in Awakening
The Warden and Companion Dialogues
- Anders/Dialogue
- Justice/Dialogue
- Nathaniel Howe/Dialogue
- Oghren/Dialogue
- Sigrun/Dialogue
- Velanna/Dialogue
Encounter Dialogues
- The Righteous Path
- Shadows of the Blackmarsh
- The Assault on Amaranthine
- The Siege of Vigil's Keep
- Depths of Depravity
- A Daughter Ransomed
- Brothers of Stone
- Trading Troubles
- Maferath's Monuments
- From the Living Wood
- Last Wishes
- Law and Order
- Moonshine for the Children
- The Sermons of Justinia II
- Those Sweet Orphans
- A Present for Melisse
- Making Amends
- A Donation of Injury Kits
- Out of Control
The Darkspawn Chronicles
The DLC The Darkspawn Chronicles also features a similar approval system, although it is about respect rather than friendship. The exact deciding factors of whether approval is given in The Darkspawn Chronicles during fighting is unknown, it is only known that it is the finishing blow that, sometimes, yields approval points. There are also no dialogue options to increase approval although there are gifts (Which will always raise approval by 20+, no matter how many times applied).
There is also an achievement directly tied to gaining full approval from 'all types of thralls'.
Earned maximum approval from all types of thralls