One of BioWare's strengths is the ability to create companions that are memorable for all the right reasons: they're the ride-or-die heroes, best friends, and love interests that make the journey worth traveling. One could ask any BioWare fan about their favorite Dragon Age or Mass Effect companion, and they'll likely have an answer that includes Garrus, Tali, Alistair, Varric, Dorian, or Morrigan, who are all some of the most popular companions found in BioWare games over the years.
But, with the good come the more unpopular characters. These aren't the ones who are divisive, such as Solas or Anders, whose actions are central to the plot and so are either adored or viscerally hated by the community. Rather, they're the characters who are just kind of there - they're the humans in the Mass Effect squad, the party members one leaves at camp while everyone else goes out to slay dragons and save the world. These companions may feel like dead weight, but they do serve a role and are an essential part of any BioWare game.
Why BioWare Creates Characters Like Sera and Vivienne
Creating a living world requires inhabiting it with people who come from different places, have different viewpoints, and have different backgrounds. Characters like Sera in Dragon Age: Inquisition, an elf who is against anything "elfy" to the point of being unpleasant and rude about it, are necessary to bring the world to life. These different viewpoints also aren't universally disliked by players; while Sera isn't the most popular character, she has dedicated fans who appreciate her perspective and love the dynamic she brings to the team.
A character like Vivienne in Dragon Age: Inquisition also brings a new perspective to the Mage-Templar War, with Vivienne being one of the few mages in the game to advocate for the restoration of the Circles as they were. As she's clearly speaking from a position of immense privilege compared to the average Circle mage, her motivations aren't necessarily altruistic and this has resulted in a lot of players disliking her as a companion. But she brings a valuable viewpoint to the conflict, and is the only way possible to integrate mages into the Chantry in Dragon Age: Inquisition.
Why Mass Effect 2 Needed Jacob
One of the most unpopular BioWare companions is Jacob from Mass Effect 2. Unlike Sera or Vivienne, he isn't outwardly offensive, but is instead criticized for being boring. He doesn't express any strong opinions and mostly goes along with whatever the player says or does, and his romance is mocked for being cringey in places, while actively engaging in harmful stereotypes later in Mass Effect 3. Unlike Blackwall, who also gets criticized for being boring, even his personal quest doesn't offer Jacob anything new, and he goes back to being the exact same person he was before, unlike every other companion who has a fundamental shift after their loyalty mission.
Companions like Jacob are the most frustrating to deal with exactly because they're just one of a cast of diverse and exciting characters. When Garrus Vakarian, Tali, Legion, and even Miranda are on the same character lineup, there's little reason to add Jacob to the team. Jacob is there to introduce the player to the world, as a counter to Miranda, and as a character guaranteed to be there during the suicide mission. No matter one's choices throughout Mass Effect 2, Miranda and Jacob will always be present so that the player has a full team for the suicide mission.
It's characters like Sera and Vivienne who offer unpopular perspectives and characters like Jacob and Blackwall who tend to fade into the background when compared to the rest of the companions that appear alongside them. Yet these characters still serve a role and a purpose, and they probably aren't going anywhere anytime soon as long as they continue to serve that purpose and have dedicated fans.
Mass Effect: Legendary Edition is available on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
Dragon Age: Inquisition is available on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.