Dragon Age: Varric Was Almost An Entirely Different Character

gamerant.com:

Varric is a fan-favorite companion in Dragon Age 2 and Dragon Age: Inquisition. His character broke many fantasy dwarf cliches, as he hated tradition, had no beard, and preferred ranged weapons. Many fans loved him enough to wish they could romance him, but Varric was better suited as a wingman and friend.

It was revealed in an interview with Game Informer that Varric actually went through a ton of changes before he was finalized for Dragon Age 2. According to the interview with BioWare lead writer David Gaider, Varric actually was going to be a «sleazy slimeball.» That is quite a far cry from the Varric fans know and love today.

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In the beginning, according to Gaider, Varric was written to be untrustworthy. He was not to be the charming rogue, but the sort of rogue that lies and cheats without style, while caring little about others. This early concept makes sense, as Gaider also mentioned that it is a misconception that BioWare developers want players to love all party members. What is more important to them is how the characters serve the story and balance out each other's personalities. A sleazy rogue would have fit for a character raised in the city of Kirkwall and living in a tavern.

Varric being a more immoral character likely would have affected a lot. It would have affected Varric's relationship with the Dwarven Merchants' Guild, his brother, and he likely would have spoken to Cassandra a little differently during his interrogation. It definitely would have changed how he interacted with other characters like Merrill, Aveline, and Isabela. However, it was actually the role of other characters that made writers decide to take Varric in a different direction.

It was the