Pickin' Locks and Breakin' Hearts--The Rogues of Dragon Age II

It's always a good idea to keep a rogue in your Dragon Age party.  You never know when you might need a lock picked or a bad guy backstabbed.  Playing as a rogue is one of my favorite roles in Dragon Age games.  Rogues come in two flavors--the stabby kind and the shooty kind.  Dragon Age II offers players two choices of rogue-ish charm to fill a slot in your party.

I have found that BioWare likes to make it's rogues have very big personalities.  It's easy to like ALL of them!  This decision could be a hard one....(but really not because, Varric!)

Dragon Age II:  Varric Tethras

Varric and Bianca.

Probably the most colorful character in the entire Dragon Age series is Varric Tethras.  Players first meet Varric early in Dragon Age II as they learn of a unique opportunity to join a dwarf led trip to scavenge riches from the Deep Roads.  Varric is a street savvy dwarf who is well-versed in the dark underworld as well as the more legitimate ventures of dwarven culture.  As the younger son in his family he is free to pursue non-merchant related tasks and is a successful writer and storyteller.  He tells (and embellishes) the story of "the champion."  Varric sports his signature crossbow, "Bianca," and is always very elusive in explaining its origins.  Varric's personality is what makes him a great character.  He can crack a good joke but be serious when things start to look dicey.

Varric's talents compliment his unique weapon and personality.  His talent tree in Dragon Age II combines his ability to spin a yarn with his crossbow skills.  Most of the talents involve increasing his attack speed or critical hit damage.  The more talents you take from his personal skill tree the deadlier he becomes with a stunning combination of speed and critical hit chance/damage.

Isabela

Isabela

Isabela actually makes a very unnoticeable entry into the series in Dragon Age:  Origins.  As you work to clean up the city of Denerim you run into her in the seedy establishment "The Pearl."  If you are playing a rogue character she will offer to teach your character the duelist specialization (apparently if you choose some different dialogue options she will also take you into the back bedroom).  In Dragon Age II you meet Isabela in another seedy bar--Kirkwall's "Hanged Man"-- and she offers to join your party.  Isabela is a pirate captain who lives the rip-roaring life of a seafaring brigand.  When you meet her she is going through a bit of a rough patch as her ship has sunk and she is pursuing some sort of mysterious artifact.  Through her companion quest you learn that she isn't at all trustworthy and has lied to your character from the start.  Her personality is carefree and she very openly flirts with your character from the start.  Eventually she decides that saving her own skin is more important than staying in your party (unless you're romancing her) and she winds up leaving.  I have never managed to keep Isabela in my party long enough to fully experience her character.

Isabela's talents reflect her pirate background and seem to be centered around her ability to draw a single opponent away and quickly handle them.  This set of abilities can prove useful in many situations.  Her final high-level talent gives her a 100% chance to stun an enemy, an ability that can provide some minor crowd control to larger fights.