The Worst Villains in RPGs

Villains are often tragic in their backstories, but it takes something special to have that backstory done well in a way that doesn’t hold back their actions but makes them understandable. The best villains are those who sincerely believe in their goals, but don’t get lost because of their own mistakes, or get in the way of the main character.

RPGs often have sadistic villains, and they’re more fun in an RPG because of how you interact with them. Some of these villains can be convinced to step down through negotiation, others are so blinded by their commitment to their cause that death is the only way forward for them. Regardless of their fate, the plight of these criminals would be overwhelming if they took another path, or their circumstances made becoming a criminal the only option.

10

The Manager

It falls

Fallout’s dungeons and wastelands have great potential for disaster, and the Master is one that appeared right out of the gate in the first Fallout game. Originally a human inhabitant of the underground, King fell into a vat of radioactive chemicals and discovered the FEV, transforming him beyond humanity.

This alone does not make him sad, but his situation convinced him that the only way forward for humanity in the post-apocalyptic wasteland was this change. In pursuit of this goal, he killed hundreds of people and committed horrific acts in the hope of transforming humans into a peaceful and prosperous species. When he discovers that FEV-2 is actually killing the mutated humans, rendering them unable to survive as a species, he realizes that everything he has done has been in vain, and kills himself.

9

We went

He agreed

Avowed has two sadistic villains, Inquisitor Lodwyn and Sapadal. I feel that Sapadal is the saddest of the two, as they are victims of their own power, and their fate is entirely in your hands, while Inquisitor Lodwyn will always die because she is too devoted to their efforts.

Sadly, Sapadal is the only god in the world of Pillars of Eternity in the sense of the word. They are a very small, omnipotent person who has caused real harm to many people. Getting rid of them will seem like the best option on a practical level, but doing so can be incredibly painful as they still have the opportunity to grow and change.

8

Dagoth Ur

The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind

The Elder Scrolls are full of bad guys, but Dagoth Uri takes first place. He was a loyal friend to Nerevar, but was corrupted by the tools of Sunder, Keening, and Wraithguard, and was killed in battle with Nerevar. Because of his connection with the tools, his spirit waited until he found his physical form and took control of the Red Mountain.

Dagoth Uri’s connection with the Nerevarine and their unusual relationship makes him very sad. He clearly holds his old friend’s birth in high esteem, and wants them to join him in his plans to rule the world. Killing him is a repeat of what happened a thousand years before, but it finally calms his spirit.

7

Wilderness

Disco Elysium

There are so many unrepentant racists, fascists, and murderers in Disco Elysium that it’s not hard to find an unlikable character who could count as a villain, but the Deserter is emblematic of many of Disco Elysium’s themes and problems. When he becomes a soldier, he fights an eternal battle, clings to the past, refuses to move forward, and refuses all change. There are several characters like this in Disco Elysium, such as Rene Arnout, but Deserter goes a long way in refusing to acknowledge that the world has changed.

There is a certain bitterness in his stubbornness. His philosophy and actions in Disco Elysium are kind of evil, and his hatred of anything that goes outside of his narrow world view is very painful and has led him to live in a dungeon, without society or any human contact.

6

Saren Arterius

Great Result

Saren is the original villain of Mass Effect, and as the war with the reapers escalates in Mass Effect 3, looking back at him and his slow decline feels very painful. Indoctrination is a subtle process, but he truly believed it was the only way to save his people and the entire galaxy from the reapers.

Saren goes from being the most trusted Specter to killing himself in the council chamber. Even after he’s dead on the ground, the reapers still aren’t done with him, and they have the technology he installed to augment himself in the fight against Shepard. Seeing him go from a respected agent to a scattered creature with no agency drives home the horrors of reapers, and how even good intentions don’t matter.

5

Kreia

Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic 2: The Sith Lords

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: Sith Lords put Star Wars under the microscope and gave everyone a new perspective on the Force, the Jedi, the Republic, and the Sith. Kreia was at the heart of this shift in perspective, and she still stands as a fascinating character in Star Wars.

Kreia was a Jedi and a Sith, and was Revan’s first teacher. He left the Jedi Order and became a Sith Lord who formed the Triumvirate, alongside Darth Sion and Darth Nihilis. Kreia became known as the Lord of Betrayal after being banished, and reframed his philosophy to criticize both the Jedi and the Sith, and see the Force itself as a threat to humanity. He truly loved the Jedi Exile, and his death at their hands is one of the most poignant moments in Star Wars.

4

Olgierd von Everec

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Hearts of Stone DLC

Olgierd von Everec did a lot of bad things in his life, even before meeting Gaunter O’Dimm. Despite this, he devotedly cared for his wife, Iris, and his desperation led him to the devil and his willingness to sacrifice his beloved brother. However, O’Dimm’s deal had the negative effect of killing all of his feelings, rendering his deal null and void.

I chose both of Olgierd’s endings, and I truly believe he deserves to be punished for everything he did to the innocent people around him. However, both he and the people around him did not deserve what O’Dimm did to them, and the way he was used to make a deal that would destroy many people’s lives is painful.

3

Ketheric Thorm

Baldur’s Gate 3

Ketheric has a very long list of crimes, and each one tells the story of a man broken by grief, first by the death of his wife, then by the death of his daughter. Feeling abandoned by Selune as both his wife and Isobel devoted themselves to him, he turned to Shar to take away his pain, and fought the war on her behalf.

When Shar did not take away her pain, she turned to Myrkul, who raised Isobel from the dead. Isobel, however, was terrified of who he was and escaped, working with others to bring about his end. Thorm was basically a good guy who couldn’t deal with the loss of his life, and turned to supernatural powers that brought nothing but pain and death to those around him.

2

Renoir Dessendre

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

One of the great things about Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is that every villain in this story is understandable, and we can’t say we wouldn’t do the same thing if we were in their shoes. For this reason, all the villains, including the Paintress, Painted Renoir, and Clea are all bad villains. The one on this list, however, is Renoir Dessendre.

Renoir faced the grief of the death of his son and the injury of his young daughter, but his trial would only begin with fire. Aline would walk away from him so they couldn’t mourn their shared loss together, and lose herself in Canvas until she killed herself. He remained trapped under the Monolith for 67 years because he refused to leave her behind, only for Alicia to do the same thing. Finally, he confesses to Alicia in love.

“I’ll leave you the light. Hold on.”

1

Solas

Dragon Age: Inquisition

Dragon Age has quite a few sad villains and picking just one for this list was tough, but it’s hard to top the misery of the Dread Wolf. Like many villains on this list, Solas is incredibly divisive, and how you view him depends on how sympathetic you are to his point of view. Solas wants to destroy the Veil, which will unite the Fade and Thedas together. Solas was the creator of the Veil, which means he has caused unspeakable damage before and intends to do it again.

Solas created the Veil to bind the Evanuris, who were spreading the Blight and enslaving their people. He wants to demolish Mvelinqangi because he saw the damage he caused and wanted to reverse it. His thinking in the end is good, and the fact that he has become a villain in the end is sad. Falling in love with him makes this worse as he loses his purpose despite the pain and sorrow along the way. He chooses to leave happiness forever for the responsibility of doing what he sees as the right thing.