Dragon Age

The following is my blog for the Dragon Age series, for Video Games and Culture class at Hartwick College.  This blog will serve to research and examine everything about the Dragon Age series.

The first installment of the series: Dragon Age: Origins, was released in November, 2009.  It was developed by BioWare, the same developers of the Knights of the Old Republic and Mass Effect Series.

Dragon Age is a fantasy role playing game.  The player assumes the role of a customized hero known as the Warden.  The world of Dragon Age consists of several different races (human, elf, and dwarf) of which the player can choose to play as.  There are also three classes (mage, rogue, or warrior) to choose from, and of course, the player gets to pick their gender.

In addition to picking these things about your character, you also get to pick an origin story for your character.  This determines the character's past prior to the events of the game.  The first hour or so of gameplay completely takes place in your origin story.  Based on your race and class, different origin stories become available.

There are two for dwarves:
Dwarf Noble
Dwarf Commoner

Three for elves:
Wood Elf
City Elf
Mage (requires mage class)

Three for humans:
Human Noble
Human Commoner
Mage (requires mage class)

However, in Dragon Age, if you are a mage, you are required to choose the mage origin story.  Origin stories not only determine the first hour of gameplay, but have a massive effect on the future of the game's storyline, and in turn, shape your entire Dragon Age experience.  For example, if you play as a human noble, you can eventually become king of the land due to your birthright, whereas, other origins would never be able to do so.

The story of the game revolves around  a group of people called the Grey Wardens, a group of warriors who fight to protect the world from an evil force known as the Dark Spawn.  The player joins this organization right after their origin story.  Soon after that, all the Grey Wardens except the player and one other warden are killed.

There are also many playable characters that can join your party throughout the game.  Most of these characters are optional and can be dismissed or otherwise completely avoided.

*Alistair- Alistair joins your party towards the beginning of the game and serves as your mentor and guide.  He is a warrior and mainly is meant to use a shield in combat.  He is also the illegitimate son of the disposed king, giving him the potential to claim the throne later in the game, should the story unfold in that manner.

*Morrigan- Morrigan saves the player and Alistair from death during the Grey Warden massacre.  She is an apostate, which is a mage that is not regulated by the state.  Her mother is a legendary witch, who plays a large part in the storyline, and her involvement with the player is a crucial part of the story.

*Leliana- Leliana is a priestess turned rogue, and an assassin by trade.  She is a light hearted girl, and is more of an auxillary character to the main storyline, but presents her own minor storylines throughout the journey.

Dog- you can acquire a canine companion at several points in the game.  The dog serves as a melee fighter in combat and provides little to no story advancement.

Sten- Sten is a qunari (a race similar to humans) who has committed a heinous slaughter against an innocent family.  Meeting him is completely optional, and the player can miss out on it completely.  If the player chooses to meet Sten, they can hear out his story and decide if they want to recruit him into the Grey Wardens or not.  Sten is a warrior that mainly uses two handed weapons to crush his enemies.

Wynne- Wynne is an older woman who is an experienced mage.  She is extremely helpful in the gameplay aspect because she is one of the few mages.  Her story is mainly separate from the main one, but it offers a lot in terms of content.  It begins by her having a close call with death, and having a helpful spirit guide her throughout the journey.

Ogren- Ogren is a dwarf warrior who plays an important role during the Dwarf City portion of the storyline.  After this, he can join the party if the player so choses.  His storyline is also mainly separate from the main one.

*Zevran- Zevran is an elf rogue that attempts to kill the player and their party.  He is a hired assassin that the main villain of the game hires.  After killing his men, the player has the option of hearing his story, or just killing him.  After that, you can actually recruit him onto your team for the rest of the game.

*Potential character love interest

Another interesting aspect of Dragon Age is the romance system.  Alistair, Morrigan, Leliana, and Zevran all can be romanced throughout the game, each romance will ultimately change the events of the game.  For example, if a female player were to romance Alistair, the events of the end of the game would be drastically changed should Alistair ultimately become king.

In addition to adding to the storyline, romance also has a profound impact on gameplay.  Each character in your party has an opinion about the player's character, and based on the player's actions, that opinion will change throughout the game.  For example, Leliana is very religious, so if the player commits a sacriliege in front of her, she may become upset and her opinion of you will drop.  At various points in the game, these opinions can be vital, as they can cause your allies to leave the party permanently or even attempt to kill you.

Also, characters who like you more will perform better in combat due to being inspired by your leadership.  If you show Morrigan that you agree with her ideals, she will gain more magical power and will help you more vigorously when you need her help most.

In my next blog entry, I will cover the combat aspect of the game among other things.

-Jack Bauerle