I'm playing Dragon Age Origins for the first time and I've discovered that some gifts work better than others. Some of the companion dialogue has guided me towards giving some gifts (e.g. Alister's mother's amulet to Alister) over others (e.g. Sten wasn't that impressed with the silver bracers I gave him).
Does the game continue giving hints about which gifts are best to give?
What are some of the best gifts to give each companion?
The Dragon Age Wikia has a ton of information about this with a complete list of all the items you can give to each character. I will paste the summaries for each character here:
Alistair
Alistair has a preference for strange runestones and figural studies of arcane creatures (excluding Totem, which is preferred by Sten).
Dog
Dog has a preference for foods and bones, but his approval rating will always be 100% so you can boost one of your other companions' ratings with gifts originally meant for Dog.
Leliana
Leliana has a preference for holy symbols of Andraste, as well as shoes.
Morrigan
Morrigan has a preference for jewelry such as necklaces and pendants.
Oghren
Oghren has a preference for alcoholic beverages (excluding Wine, which is preferred by Wynne).
Shale
Shale has a preference for the nine "remarkable" gemstones that can be found in Ferelden.
Sten
Due to an aspect of Qunari discipline, Sten has a preference for paintings.
Wynne
Wynne has a preference for books and scrolls.
Zevran
Zevran has a preference for leather items and bars of precious metals.
Secret Companion
The Secret Companion has a preference for maps of Thedas.
