Why the Archon 'failed' as an enemy.

I disagree that "every bad guy encounter in the MET had a unique set piece" - The side-mission planet battles in ME1 have been widely criticized for using the same warehouse or mine layout over and over and over again.  Even Noveria and Feros and Therum have significant sequences of using essentially the same sort of "roadway" as an excuse to funnel geth footsoldiers under the guns of the mako.  Even the Ilos Trench Run and the approach on Virmire feel much the same... drive a distance on a narrow path and eventually encounter a few geth footsoldiers accompanied by an armature or two.  Was there ever any real in-game story purpose to running into a few mercs standing by one of the probes on Trebin? or why the geth would set "traps" on planets that consisted of a few geth armatures and maybe some other troops hiding around a probe or beacon as occurs on Metgos?  If there was a real story-driven connection given there... I must have missed it despite playing that game more than 30 times through it.

Why did Benezia even bring all those geth and asari to Peak 15?  Since the facility was presented as being essentially owned by Saran and she should have had easy access to talking with the Rachni without arising suspicions by being accompanied by a bunch of commandos and sneaking a bunch of geth into the facility... who then open fire on Shepard in the garage and attack him in small groups along the road... Why not let him come and instruck Ventralis just cut him down at the door?  If the geth are after the Thorian on Feros and Saren had already talked with it, why were there geth forces scattered all the way to Exogeni administration building?

On Eos, some of the random Kett encountered in their camps are operating surveillance devices reporting the colonists' activities back to the archon.  There is a similar side-quest on Voeld.  The Kett are frequently encountered after having been dropped into Remnant ruins and the premise there is that the Kett are being instructed to study the Remnant by the Archon who is obsessed with Remnant tech... because he wants control of Meridian.  Remnant foot soldiers are their to guard the Remnant tech.  On Voeld, there is often evidence on the sight of the Kett attacking and kidnapping angara... in order to (as we find out) turn them into Kett.

Loghain wasn't mustache twirling at all. As you go through the game everyone paints him this way, which is completely understandable, but when you talk to the man himself you don't get this impression at all. I noted something at the landsmeet: when you give a bad argument about the war effort one of Loghain's allies starts to berate you on how you know nothing at all about war or strategy and that you have no place to criticize. And although appeal to authority is a logical fallacy there really is no reason whatsoever for the warden to have any good opinions on how such a war is supposed to be waged at all. The human noble, and dwarf noble might have some ideas but they've never had to lead an army. Alistair is a knight of sorts but has never been in war and we know the rest of the group except for Sten wouldn't have any good opinions. Morgan actually suggested that you should go right after Loghain in the beginning of the game without an army... I find it unlikely that anyone in the group except for Sten would have any good arguments regardless. I don't have a clue what I'd do in that situation at all.

Loghain gives the impression that Cailan was a fool who wanted to go to war for glory and started a battle he could never hope to win. He says that he retreated because the alternative would just lead to more people dying needlessly. He never talks like some cardboard villain that's just jealous of Cailan or whatever. He loves the guy but he's not going to let him send good men to their deaths because of that.

The only real reason you really might see Loghain as mustache twirling is because there's a scene where Loghain basically looks at the camera and talks about how it will be a great moment for them all or something like that and grins in true villain fashion. That's definitely a mustache twirling moment for sure. But I don't think this scene alone hurts the character. Its not like the guy would've pulled out if they were winning, however unlikely that may have been. Him denying the Chevalier from helping Ferelden stop the Darkspawn was definitely a questionable decision. However he remembers how the Orlesians enslaved Fereldans during the occupation and he doesn't want to allow that to happen again.

So no he's not really mustache twirling despite his moments. He's mostly just pragmatic possibly to the detriment of Ferelden. He's a villain for sure but not mustache twirling.

No understanding of his motivation.

Not much more than a one dimensional character.

His never ending dialogue repeat during your final battle which was not even with him specifically. (two dings there)

Extra ding for his wanting to destroy worlds and that Meridian can do that. This is something that they put forth in the story but it's never really said how and the assumption is rather idiotic. It's a bit like saying since a women's uterus can create life, it can destroy life. *shrug* It's powerful and can create life, therefore it must be able to destroy it. Not once are we even given the slightest most vague 'how' about how this could actually be done. It's just assumed, stated as fact and the science fan in me at least wants some attempt at the 'how' to be made. Without that explanation everything after that with regards to the Archon is comical at best, tedious at worst. I really missed saren.

The writers really needed to go play or read the scrips for DAO and focus on Loghain (I think there was a book or comic in there that added depth to him as well) and then do the same for ME1 (Saren). Clearly they did not.

I still love the game, but yeah, this villain is a bit of a joke as is his end goal to destroy worlds. I get it's how he wants them to all submit to exaltation, but it's done so poorly. I can see him as a villain that is burned out of helius and wants to finish his work and go home, but that is never really something that they elaborate on and they really needed to.

Grissom Academy is clearly portrayed by Kahlee Sanders as having been essentially shut down and the students sent home prior to Cerberus showing up... leaving only "fewer than 20 students" who volunteered to stay on (at 4:30 in this video)

The Archon was as "evil" as the radiation on Eos. He happened to stand on the way of the Initiative and didn't cooperate, when had the chance. No hard feelings.

The only annoying part was him shouting generic threats during the final battle.

He looks like a Muppet baby. I couldn't take him seriously.

Moderate.

I'll take him, not too impressed.

But as a character I'm interested if more is done with him, as there seems to be hints. Yes, post-death.

Whats the difference between a Power Rangers villain and the Archon?

I've always thought he looked more like an acorn.

He looks like Saren Arterius and Corypheus had a baby.

Why do so many Bioware villains have to be some weird Byzantine-Romanesque dude?



But in all seriousness, the Kett in general is one of the biggest things that made me just not interested in the game. When you bank your conflict on one type of antagonist and they're a big pile of "meh" then so what?

The ME1 Geth are incredibly alien and unknowable, curious yet xenophobic and terrifyingly violent; the Reapers are monstrous on a scale nearly impossible to describe (until ME3, anyway). KOTOR's Malak was a generic Sith lord, but he at least makes the player character have to weigh the enemy within. Loghain was a good man whose life was stained by tragedy, which had corrupted him not unlike the taint that the Wardens are sworn to destroy.

The problem with the kett "And by extension, the Archon) is that they were essentially Reaper-lite.  They go around "ascending" species with a fanatical, almost robotic devotion to some twisted ideal.