Loghain

[1] If the player recruits Loghain as a party member and spends time interacting with him, he would articulate his reasons for doubting the veracity of the Blight and reveal his suspicion of the Grey Warden's presence as being merely part of a scheme from Ferelden's former colonizers, the Orlesian Empire.

[3] In an interview with PC Gamer, Origins lead writer Gaider describes Loghain's characterization as part of the general shift toward a more morally ambiguous form of RPG.

[5] He described Loghain as a tragic figure, and he considers the decision to potentially kill him especially poignant when there is a viable option to redeem the character.

[4] Loghain is first encountered at the fortress of Ostagar in Origins, as a general who provides strategies for King Cailan Theirin in the defense of Ferelden from the invading Darkspawn, a race of humanoid tainted creatures that mostly dwell in the underground of Thedas.

For the majority of the game from then on, Loghain takes up residence in Denerim and appoints himself regent to Queen Anora, becoming the de facto ruler of Ferelden.

In Dragon Age II, Loghain's actions at the Battle of Ostagar were mentioned briefly by the story's narrator, Varric Tethras.

Loghain may make a further appearance as a supporting character in Dragon Age: Inquisition, should he survive the events of Origins and joins the Grey Wardens.

He is presented as an ally of the Inquisition alongside Hawke, the protagonist of Dragon Age II, while they attempt to investigate corruption within the ranks of the Grey Warden Order.

After murdering the Orlesian commander responsible, Loghain's father took him and fled into the Fereldan wilds, banding together with other desperate Ferelden's to eke out a living however they could.

In the sequel to The Stolen Throne, Dragon Age: The Calling, Loghain continued to support King Maric in the years after the passing of Queen Rowan, the sister of Eamon and Teagan Guerrin and mother to Cailan Theirin.

It is revealed that Loghain had long been suspicious of the Grey Wardens; the Order was previously exiled from the realm centuries before due to a power struggle for the Ferelden throne, and he perceives the organization to be in league with Orlais.

In 2010, Loghain was included in DC Unlimited's range of Dragon Age themed video game figures, along with Duncan, Morrigan, and a Genlock.

[10] In a later editorial published in 2014, the managing editor of Game Informer, Matt Bertz, singled out Loghain as the best character in Origins and said he loved "the shades of gray BioWare used to paint this protector of the realm who always thought he was doing to right thing even when that took him down some dark roads".

He notes that, "like a true Bioware game, the player later gets to decide Loghain's fate, concluding "Was he a sniveling coward or intelligent for not entering a hopeless battle?

[4] Cobbett, in an article written for Eurogamer in 2016, praised the complexity of Loghain's character as an example of a high level of writing care and attention.

[13] In a later article written in 2017 for Rock, Paper, Shotgun, Cobbett named Loghain as the most successful example of a sympathetic villain in a role playing game that he could think of.

He observed that Loghain comes across like a villain "who spends most of the game up to his gauntlets in dodgy dealings", but noted that a much more rounded figure emerges should the player recruit him.

He notes that once Loghain discovers that only a blood sacrifice to slay the Archdemon, the draconic leader of the Darkspawn horde, would save Ferelden from the Blight, "he's also the first to volunteer immediately, having realized his mistakes and is looking for a way to atone".

[2] Sam Roberts of GamesRadar share the same sentiments: Loghain being the only notable antagonist in Origins, has his reasons for being the way he is and the player have the opportunity to unravel them.