10 Video Game NPCs You Should NEVER Kill
5. Zevran - Dragon Age Origins
Some games, especially RPGs, tend to offer a lot of player choice so that each gamer's journey can take it's own shape. Some of these choices can indeed include which NPCs to kill or spare as well as which allies to recruit to your cause. Dragon Age Origins combines both of these choices into one mega question which some players come to regret.
Zevran is introduced as one of the many side-quest specific villains of the franchise as part of the chapter The Long Road. Here, he's been tasked with ambushing and assassinating the Warden. Upon being defeated, Zevran is knocked unconscious and a particular choice is presented. Either the player can wake Zevran and talk to him or kill him whilst he's no longer a threat.
If you choose the latter in vengeance, then that's the end of matters and you'll go through the rest of the game without realising that you've actually just killed off a potential member of your party. Oops?
Zevran is a valuable companion for a few reasons. Beyond just being a capable rogue, he's a rare character in fantasy. Most elves tend to be hoighty-toighty but Zevran has a certain amount of snark and street-smarts, which make him very memorable... if you didn't unknowingly kill him, that is.