Highlights
- Dwarves are a beloved race in fantasy games, often portrayed as living underground and being obsessed with gold and riches.
- Many fantasy games feature memorable dwarven characters, such as Hearthstone's friendly innkeeper and Dragon Age's Oghren, whose tragic story can be redeemed.
- Characters like Zoltan from The Witcher and Varric from Dragon Age are proof that dwarves can be skilled warriors with compassionate hearts, defying stereotypes.
Dwarves are a main-stay race of characters in the fantasy genre, existing among the likes of elves and orcs. They are often seen living in places underground or within rocks, with reputations of being greedy for all things that are gold and glittering.
As such, they can be found, interacted with, or even played as in fantasy games, always ready to prove their stature doesn't stop them from packing a punch. From Dragon Age to World of Warcraft, there is no shortage of fantasy games that contain a lovable pint-sized companion, though there are definitely some that rise above the rest in terms of reputation.
8 Harth Stonebrew - Hearthstone
The companion game to World of Warcraft, Hearthstone is an online card game that allows players to choose a hero from the hallowed halls of WoW fame and craft a deck filled with creatures, characters, and spells from the very same universe. The tie-in to the popular MMO is the secret behind Hearthstone's success, but it wouldn't be anything without the innkeeper who acts as an announcer to the games.
Always friendly and welcoming, players will feel as though they stepped in from a cold winter's evening into a warm, bustling tavern to enjoy a good tankard of ale, a hearty meal, and a few friendly rounds of cards with the other patrons.
7 Oghren - Dragon Age: Origins
Crass, crude, and a lover of alcoholic beverages, Oghren can be an acquired taste to some players of Dragon Age: Origins, though this was not always the case. Oghren was once a decorated and popular warrior due to his strength and skill on the battlefield, even catching the eyes of quite a few women in Orzammar.
Through unfortunate life events such as a crumbling marriage and being stripped of his honor and dignity, he began using alcohol as a crutch. His tale is one of tragedy and downfall, but the player has the opportunity to turn his life around by offering him a position in their party, and the chance to save Ferelden from the threat of the darkspawn and the archdemon.
6 Zoltan Chivay - The Witcher
The dark fantasy world of The Witcher is home to monsters, humans, witchers, elves and, of course, dwarves. Geralt meets a few among his travels in the games, with Zoltan being the one that stands out the most. Players will encounter Zoltan in each of the three Witcher games, and is counted among the few true friends Geralt has.
This alone would be enough to crown Zoltan as one of the greatest dwarves in games, as anyone who can chip at witcher's hearts deserves recognition, and yet Zoltan has even more redeemable qualities. He is a proven warrior with a secret heart of gold, disproving the reputation that dwarves care little for the plight of others, and that they do not care to even attempt peaceful coexistence.
5 Thorgrim Grudgebearer - Warhammer 3
Now with a family name like Grudgebearer, one could be forgiven into thinking Thorgrim is a man that is very much stuck in the past thinking back on all who have wronged him and how to wreak his vengeance upon them, but this is not the full truth for his character.
Blessed with the mighty strength needed to wage and lead wars, Thorgrim also holds wisdom within his mind, knowing that while traditions should be upheld and recognized, time marches forward and changes must be made in order to keep in line with times, or they will be rendered obsolete. So while he does wish to avenge every entry in the Great Book of Grudges, it is not his sole focus in life.
4 Brok and Sindri - God of War
Based on the brothers of the same name from Norse mythology, players can encounter the smithing brothers in God of War, who are responsible for crafting legendary weapons such as Mjolnir for Thor, and Kratos's Leviathan axe. As such, they are undoubtedly the most skilled in their trade, as even God's make use of their creations.
Though they are supporting characters in the game, they do play a pivotal role as players will need to visit them in order to upgrade Kratos and Atreus's weapons and equipment to ensure they are properly outfitted against whatever threat lies ahead on the road.
3 Magni Bronzebeard - World of Warcraft
A dwarf of legendary reputation, Magni Bronzebeard was a man of honor and bravery with many titles to his name, including King of Khaz Modan, Thane of Ironforge, and the leader of the Bronzebeard Clan. With so many titles under his belt, it's little wonder he was added to the card game Hearthstone as an alternative warrior hero.
In the end, he sacrificed himself to save his kingdom and was transformed into a diamond. But even in the afterlife, his heroics never ended, as he became the Speaker, working with the heroes who fight for the world and healing their wounds.
2 Gimli - The Lord of the Rings
No major movie franchise would be complete without its video game adaptation, and Lord of the Rings is no exception to the rule. The entire trilogy was made into a hack-and-slash adventure series, allowing the players to control main characters such as Frodo, Aragorn and Gandalf as they play through the events of the movies.
Of course, the Lord of the Rings games are home to many of the colorful characters from the books and movies, including Tom Bombadil, Legolas, and Gimli. Gimli is definitely one of the characters that stands out from the rest, being the only dwarf companion and one of the comedic reliefs, alongside his elven frenemy Legolas. A stout warrior with a heart of gold, Gimli is definitely one of the best dwarven characters to ever be realized in video games.
1 Varric Tethras - Dragon Age 2/Inquisition
Varric is probably one of the most famed and popular RPG companions of all time, oozing humor and charisma from the very first time he strolled onto players' screens in Dragon Age 2. And even beyond the confidence, Varric has a heart of gold and an affable nature that ensures he can get along with just about anyone, while certain other members of Hawke's party bicker incessantly.
Due to him being a beloved character, he returned as a companion in Dragon Age: Inquisition, lending his wit and crossbow skill to the Inquisitor. There have been many calls for Varric to be made a romance option, but sadly BioWare have yet to answer these calls. But even as just a friend, the bonds players forge with Varric will ensure he lives on in their hearts and memories even long after they have closed the game for the final time.