The Most Tragic Villains in RPGs

Villains are often tragic in their backstories, but it takes a special one to have that backstory done well in a way that doesn't excuse their actions but rather makes them understandable. The best villains are the ones who sincerely believe in their goals, but are misguided thanks to their flaws, or are simply in the way of the protagonist.

RPGs often have tragic villains, and they're especially fun in an RPG because of how you get to interact with them. Some of these villains can be convinced to step down through dialogue, others are so blinded by their commitment to their cause that death is the only way forward for them. No matter their end, the tragedy of these villains is the potential they had if they had taken another path, or their circumstances that made becoming a villain the only option.

10 The Master

Fallout

Fallout's vaults and wastelands have so much potential for tragedy, and the Master was one that appeared right out the gate in the first Fallout game. Originally a human inhabitant of a vault, the Master fell into a vat of radioactive chemicals and contracted FEV, mutating him beyond humanity.

This in itself doesn't make him tragic, but his situation convinced him that the only way forward for humanity in a post-apocalyptic wasteland was through this mutation. In pursuit of this goal, he killed hundreds of people and did monstrous things in the hope of turning humans into a peaceful and prosperous species. Upon discovering that FEV-2 actually sterilizes the people it mutates, making them unsustainable as a species, he realizes that everything he did was for naught, and kills himself.

9 Sapadal

Avowed

Avowed arguably has two tragic villains, Inquisitor Lodwyn and Sapadal. I feel like Sapadal is the more tragic of the two, as they're very much a victim of their own power, and their fate lies entirely in your hands, whereas Inquisitor Lodwyn will always die because they're just too devoted to their cause.

Sapadal is, ironically, probably the only god in the Pillars of Eternity world in the sense of the word. They're a very young, all-powerful being who has caused very real harm to countless people. Eradicating them would logically seem like the best path on a practical level, but to do so would be incredibly sad as they still have the opportunity to grow and change.

8 Dagoth Ur

The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind

The Elder Scrolls is filled with tragic villains, but Dagoth Ur takes first place. He was a loyal friend to Nerevar, but became corrupted by the tools Sunder, Keening, and Wraithguard, and was killed in battle with Nerevar. Because of his connection to the tools, his spirit lingered until he regained his physical form and took control of Red Mountain.

Dagoth Ur's connection to the Nerevarine and their strange relationship makes him especially tragic. He clearly holds great respect for the incarnation of his old friend, and wants them to join him in his plans for world domination. Killing him is the repeat of what had happened a millennium before, but it finally puts his spirit to rest.

7 The Deserter

Disco Elysium

There are so many unrepentant racists, fascists, and murderers in Disco Elysium that it isn't hard to find an unpleasant character that could be counted as a villain, but the Deserter is emblematic of so many of Disco Elysium's themes and problems. Once a soldier, he fights the forever war, stuck in the past, refusing to move forward, and rejects all change. There are several characters like this in Disco Elysium, such as Rene Arnout, but the Deserter goes the extra mile in refusing to acknowledge that the world has changed.

There's a certain sadness in his stubbornness. His philosophy and actions in Disco Elysium are a certain kind of ugly, and his sheer hatred of anything that steps outside his narrow view of the world is deeply pathetic and has prompted him to live in a hole, outside of society and any human connection.

6 Saren Arterius

Mass Effect

Saren is the first villain of Mass Effect, and even as the war with the Reapers escalates in Mass Effect 3, looking back on him and his slow decline feels all the more tragic. Indoctrination is an insidious process, but he genuinely believed it was the only way to save his people and the galaxy at large from the Reapers.

Saren goes from being the most trusted Spectre to killing himself in the council chambers. Even after he's dead on the ground, the Reapers still aren't done with him, and possess the tech he installed to augment himself to fight Shepard. Seeing him go from a respected agent to a skeletal creature with no agency drives home the horrors of the Reapers, and how even the best 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: The Sith Lords put Star Wars under a microscope and gave everyone a new perspective on the Force, the Jedi, the Republic, and even the Sith. Kreia was at the heart of a lot of this shift in perspective, and still stands as a fascinating character in Star Wars.

Kreia was both a Jedi and a Sith, and was the first teacher of Revan. She left the Jedi Order and became a Sith Lord that formed a Triumvirate, alongside Darth Sion and Darth Nihilis. Kreia became known as the Lord of Betrayal after she was cast out, and reframed her philosophy to be critical of both the Jedi and the Sith, and seeing the Force itself as harmful to people. She genuinely loved the Jedi Exile, and her death at the hands of them is one of the most tragic moments in Star Wars.

4 Olgierd von Everec

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Hearts of Stone DLC

Olgierd von Everec did a lot of terrible things in his life, even before meeting Gaunter O'Dimm. Despite this, he genuinely cared for his wife, Iris, and his desperation led him to the devil and a willingness to sacrifice his beloved brother. However, O'Dimm's deal had the side effect of killing all his emotions, essentially making his deal pointless.

I've chosen both fates for Olgierd, and I do genuinely believe that he deserves some retribution for all he did to 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 manipulated into a deal that would ruin countless lives is tragic.

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 from the death of his wife, then by the death of his daughter. Feeling abandoned by Selune as both his wife and Isobel were devoted to her, he turned to Shar to have his pain erased, and waged war in her name.

When Shar did not erase his pain, he turned to Myrkul, who raised Isobel from the dead. Isobel, however, was horrified by who he had become and escaped, working with others to bring his end. Thorm was fundamentally a good person who couldn't handle the loss of his life, and turned to unnatural forces 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 exact same thing were we in their shoes. For this reason, all the villains, including The Paintress, Painted Renoir, and even Clea are all tragic villains. The one on this list, though, is Renoir Dessendre.

Renoir experienced the tragedy of the death of his son and the maiming of his youngest daughter, but his trials would only begin with the fire. Aline would pull away from him so they couldn't mourn their shared loss together, and lose herself in a Canvas to the point of killing herself. He remained trapped beneath the Monolith for 67 years because he refused to leave her behind, only for Alicia to do the same thing. In the end, he concedes to Alicia out of love.

"I'll leave the light on for you. Hold on to each other."

1 Solas

Dragon Age: Inquisition

Dragon Age has several tragic villains and choosing just one for this list was difficult, but it's hard to surpass the tragedy of the Dread Wolf. As with many of the villains on this list, Solas is incredibly divisive, and how you view him depends on how much you sympathize with his viewpoint. Solas wants to destroy the Veil, which would merge the Fade and Thedas together. Solas was the creator of the Veil, meaning he caused untold damage once before and intends to do so again.

Solas created the Veil to imprison the Evanuris, who were spreading the Blight and enslaving their people. He wants to tear down the Veil because he recognized the damage he caused and wanted to reverse it. His reasoning is ultimately good, and that he has turned himself into the villain is ultimately tragic. Romancing him makes this worse as he loses himself to his cause despite the pain and grief on this path. He chooses to walk away from happiness forever out of an obligation to do what he sees as the right thing.