Best BioWare Villains

Key Takeaways

• BioWare has a diverse range of memorable villains in its games, each with unique backgrounds and motivations.
• The Monitor in Anthem, the Reapers in Mass Effect, and The Arishok in Dragon Age 2 are standout antagonists.
• Characters like Darth Malak, Solas, and The Illusive Man showcase the depth and complexity of BioWare’s villains.

BioWare has given us a plethora of adventures over the years. While Mass Effect and Dragon Age will come to mind for most, there are other ones as well, such as the underrated Jade Empire. Every good story needs a memorable villain, and BioWare has certainly given us a lot of them.

These antagonists are quite varied in terms of who they are, where they come from, and their motivations for their apparently evil deeds. Regardless of their origins, they usually tend to stick with you long after the credits roll and on any new games.

Updated on December 6, 2024, by Zackary Ross Wiggs: BioWare has become a go-to name for the RPG genre, even whether that is the sci-fi or fantasy RPG subgenres. That amount of range is impressive, and character customization, gameplay, and a solid plot all have something to do with it. But, one thing that every good RPG needs, is an antagonist to thwart. Whether it’s galactic domination, or just good-old immortality at the cost of the ones around them, a good antagonist is the perfect reason to go on an epic adventure. Something that BioWare has made into a science.

13

The Monitor

Anthem

Though Anthem may not be as highly regarded as some of the company’s other games, it did have its share of memorable characters. One of those being the main villain of the story, the Monitor. Though his real name is unknown, he played a key role in creating the Heart of Rage and triggering the issues you face during the game.

What’s most memorable about the Monitor though is his calmness. It is a quietness that tells you this guy is absolutely sure he will succeed in becoming one with the anthem. A plan he almost succeeds in.

12

Reapers

Mass Effect Series

Every good sci-fi series needs a powerful enemy. When your game takes place all over the galaxy, like in Mass Effect, you need an opposing force that puts the entirety of multiple solar systems in peril, just like the Reapers.

Metallic, the size of spaceships, and sentient, Reapers are a compelling enemy to fight against as Commander Shepherd. This comes down to the fact that it doesn’t matter your ideals as the games’ protagonist, the Reapers can’t be reasoned with, they just want to destroy everything.

The Reapers may not have always been the brains behind the operation, but the invasion scene for Mass Effect 3 was something that everyone will remember seeing for the first time.

11

The Arishok

Dragon Age 2

The Arishok may not have been the main antagonist of Dragon Age 2, but he is one that stood out mainly because of the valid points he makes about Kirkwall. From the get-go, it is clear that the city runs off of greed which the Qunari stranded there lack.

It’s easy to see why many eventually side with him by converting to the Qun in hopes of creating a new society. But of course, he ends up massacring a bunch of people, and now you have to put him down. While he may look cool and make some for some great debate topics, he slaughters innocent people. Which is enough to even bring both mages and templars together to best him.

10

Darth Malgus

Star Wars: The Old Republic

A Star Wars character seen in the games, Darth Malgus is one of the commanders of the Sith Empire who are usually the bad guys in The Old Republic MMO. He may not be as racist as others he fights with, but that doesn’t change the fact the guy is utterly ruthless.

In his quest for conquest, Malgus has killed countless Jedi and just about anyone unlucky enough to cross paths with him. It’s this nature that makes him a main villain. The story mode for this questline may be brief, but it shows just how good a bad guy Malgus is.

9

Solas

Dragon Age: Inquisition & Veilguard

One of the main plot twists in Dragon Age: Inquisition is how it sets up the next game’s main villain. That person surprisingly turns out to be none other than Solas, one of your party members in the game. At first, he seemed like a decent guy despite his know-it-all nature – but in hindsight, it all makes sense as he showed signs throughout the game that he was not a good guy.

But all that pales in comparison to the revelation that Solas is the dreadwolf Fen’Harel, the elven god who brought upon the creation of the veil and the downfall of the ancient elven civilization, which is a problem you still need to fix in Veilguard.

8

Loghain

Dragon Age: Origins

The main goal of Origins is to end the Darkspawn blight by slaying the dragon known as the Archdemon. Though they’re considered the main villain of the story, there’s someone who is arguably worse: Loghain.

Loghain was the right hand of King Cailan of Fereldan, who had a deep hatred for Orlais, who also enslaved Fereldan at one point and led to the destruction of just about everything he loved. It’s likely why he leaves Cailan and most of the Grey Wardens to die, since Cailan was thinking about making peace with Orlais. This act brings Fereldan into civil war and nearly brings about the end of the nation. Unlike other BioWare villains, he can be redeemed by joining the Grey Wardens and eventually sacrificing himself to kill the Archdemon.

7

Sun Li

Jade Empire

Sometimes your worst enemy is your old friend and that is certainly the case with Sun Li, the Glorious Strategist. During a majority of Jade Empire, Sun Li is your character’s mentor who trains you to stop the evil emperor Sun Hai from obtaining the power of the Water Dragon to become a god.

You eventually succeed before finding out that Sun Li’s plan all along was to use you to obtain the power for himself and become the emperor of the Jade Empire. It’s this twist that makes Sun Li a great villain, as you absolutely could not have seen this coming from someone who seemed to be a wise and kind old man.

6

Elgar’nan & Ghilan’nain

Dragon Age: Veilguard

Elgar’nan and Ghilan’nain are the elven gods of creation and the sun, and animals and navigation, respectfully. It isn’t everyday that major gods of a pantheon are shaded in a bad light in a fantasy world, at least not ones that aren’t directly responsible for death, the underworld, war, etc.

Yet, Veilguard pulls it off by blurring the lines between what makes a god a god, and the difference between power and control. Regardless, Solas released these two back into the mortal worlds, and they aren’t too keen on anything except domination. It may seem like a JRPG trope at this point, but fighting a god never seems to get old.

5

Darth Malak

Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic

If there was ever an equivalent to Darth Vader in the Star Wars video games, that person would be Darth Malak. With a menacing voice and tall stature, Malak just can’t help but show off his evilness by fully embracing the dark side throughout the game on his quest for the Star Forge.

He destroys the planet Taris just to try and kill Bastila, which also meant murdering not just innocent people but several of his own forces as well. He is even able to succeed in bringing Bastila to the dark side and making her his apprentice by the end of the game. Not to mention he also reveals that plot twist about your character. To think that he was once an honorable and noble Jedi.

4

Saren

Mass Effect

When people are scared, they become desperate. That is certainly the case with Saren Arterius who is seemingly the main antagonist of the first Mass Effect. He does the usual villain stuff of killing people and being ruthless but as it turns out, he has actually been indoctrinated by the Reapers.

But that isn’t what makes Saren so compelling. What does though is that he is doing all this because he truly believes he is doing the right thing. That by appeasing the Reapers, the galaxy will be spared from the wrath of the Reapers. He could realize eventually that he did this the wrong way, and will take his own life to atone for his sins.

3

The Darkspawn

Dragon Age Series

The Darkspawn are exactly what you want in a main fantasy antagonist. They are illusive, not easily reasoned with, and the result of an all-consuming corruption. The perfect enemies for your ragtag group to fight back against.

All shapes and sizes of creatures fall into The Darkspawn’s army, and they’re all deadly in their own ways. It was a fun addition in Dragon Age: Origins to make part of the Grey Warden’s ritual for joining to drink the Darkspawn’s own blood.

The Darkspawn are more of a tool for the main antagonists in the Dragon Age series, but they still deserve a spot on this list for being a constant blight on that fantasy world.

2

Jon Irenicus

Baldur’s Gate 2: Shadows Of Amn

On the surface, Jon Irenicus, sometimes known as Joneleth, just feels like another guy who has an unquenched thirst for power, but it’s how well he’s written that makes him a great villain. He’s easy to hate but once you find out his motivations, you can’t help but feel bad for him a bit.

He is just trying to find immortality after losing his natural elven lifespan. It’s too bad that there is a lot of torturing, murdering, and use of dark magic to counteract all of this. Otherwise, Jon Irenicus might be worthy of redemption.

1

The Illusive Man

Mass Effect 2 & 3

One of the greatest villains in any game is the Illusive Man, the leader of the organization known as Cerberus in the Mass Effect trilogy and voiced masterfully by Martin Sheen. You can’t help but feel that this guy always knows way more than he’s letting on – even though he’s supposed to be on your side in Mass Effect 2.

Like Saren, he truly believes what he is doing is the right thing to preserve and save humanity from the Reapers. Even if that means actually joining them to try to control them. He’s manipulative and charismatic to a fault, so it’s easy to see just what makes him so enrapturing. It’s all this that makes him perhaps the best BioWare villain of all time.