Elvish Grace or Qunari Brawn?

Woo...first week of school (which was actually two days) down.  Phew.  Now I can get back to the serious business of comparing characters in video games.  I started with a comparison of warriors who are often put into the tank role from Dragon Age II and Dragon Age:  Inquisition.  How about your bruisers though?  Would you choose Fenris, the broody elf from Dragon Age II, or Iron Bull, the Qunari mountain from Dragon Age:  Inquisition?

Dragon Age II--Fenris

Fenris.  He's tattooed and elfy.

 I have always thought that Fenris is a bit of an odd character.  Firstly, an elf as a two-handed warrior always seemed to ben the traditional stereotype of the typical hulking warrior.  I've always wanted my non-tanking warriors to 1.) wield a weapon whose seize is completely inconceivable 2.) be hulking masses of muscle that tower above the bad guys.  Fenris carries a big sword but is still lithe like an elf.  What?  It's different, but it works.

Fenris's story is interesting.  He's a former slave bound to a powerful Tevinter magister.  This magister had him branded with lyrium in order to augment his powers.  As a result Fenris sports some interesting body art that makes him stand out from other elves.  This magical brand is also the explanation for his exceptional skills.  Due to his torture and mistreatment at the hand of Danarius, Fenris hates magic.  He also hates slavery and anything associated with it.  Fenris's personality tends to be pretty serious.  He's not cracking jokes and is completely focused on eliminating his former master and all slavers.  At the end of Dragon Age II your choice to support either kill, exile, or save Anders and to support either the mages or templars can affect Fenris's support.  If you choose to save Anders and support the mages, Fenris will leave your party and fight on the side of the templars (unless you romanced him...I think).  If you oppose the mages, he will stay in your party.  Unfortunately in my latest playthrough I may have accidentally skipped his companion quest to kill Danarius and ended up having to kill him along with the templars at the end of the game.

Fenris's talents have never impressed me.  His talents revolve around the lyrium brands on his body and can give him a very high magical resistance.  There are several talents in his tree that do give him some handy battle talents--particularly those that increase his stamina regeneration and attack speed.  His talents tie in well with his story, but seem to have somewhat limited usefulness.

Dragon Age:  Inquisition--Iron Bull

Iron Bull

Iron Bull definitely falls into the stereotypical warrior category.  He's big, brawny, and wields a huge weapon.  Having Iron Bull be the two-handed warrior of choice in Inquisition seemed to be a return back to more traditional character type.  As you start to learn about Iron Bull you learn that he is anything but traditional.  He's a Qunari, but he's not exactly wrapped up in following all the traditional Qunari rules.  He does what he wants and leads a very ragtag but talented group of mercenaries known as the "Bull's Chargers."

As a character, Iron Bull is a big change from the seriousness of Fenris in Dragon Age II.  Iron Bull cracks jokes and seems to enjoy hanging out in the tavern drinking all day.  Although he seems to reject the values of the Qun he still maintains ties to the Qunari.  In your first encounter with Bull you learn that he is Ben-Hassrath, the Qunari equivalent of a spy, and that he regularly sends reports to the Qunari.  It's obvious that he still feels ties to his people, but he also revels in his independence.

One of the more curious aspects of both Fenris and Iron Bull's personalities is their willingness to be romanced by both male and female characters.  In Dragon Age II there isn't really a story explanation about why Fenris is open to a relationship with either sex.  There was the odd decision in Dragon Age II to make all the available romanceable characters (except Aveline and Varric) open to relationships with male or female characters.  In your many conversations with Iron Bull in Dragon Age:  Inquisition you learn that the Qun has very loose rules regarding sexuality and that it's completely acceptable in their society to choose whomever you want.  Romancing Iron Bull is fun as there are lots of jokes about his size and one funny scene where the leaders of the Inquisition walk in on your character and Bull and proceed to make a number of pointed remarks about Bull's state of undress.

I prefer Iron Bull's talents as a reaver over Fenris's talents.  As a reaver, the more damage Bull takes to more damage he puts out.  This is handy as I find my two-handed warriors often end up in an off-tanking kind of role and can successfully keep the baddies off squishier characters.  I do find that Iron Bull can seem pretty squishy himself and in dragon fights I have to be extra careful about his positioning.

Do you opt for Fenris with his magical tattoos and elvish grace (and fantastic anime-like white hair!) or Iron Bull with his bulging...muscles...and carefree attitude?

Personality:  Iron Bull
I like a character with a sense of humor and there is a lot of humor built around Iron Bull.  His laid back personality and general bloodlust make him a fun character to keep in the party.  Romancing Bull is a hoot and you will often find yourself laughing.

Talents:  Iron Bull
I really like my warriors to be wrecking balls of fury.  Having so many of Fenris's talents revolve around seemingly defensive qualities have never endeared him to me.  Bull can soak up some damage while simultaneously increasing his damage output.  That's a very handy set of talents!

It was no contest for me--Iron Bull easily wins out as my pick for best two-handed warrior companion.

Next up....the magey types.