Preview: Dragon Age Inquisition – Setting the Stage

The Story

Very little is known about the actual story at this point, which is probably a good thing. There are glimpses into the story that are known, though very few details have been released.

Here is what is known:

• The veil that separates the real world from the fade has been torn apart, and demons are raining down from the sky. Fixing this problem is the main arc of the game’s story.
• There is also a war going on between the templars and mages that started back in DA2. The first trailer for the game suggested that this war is tied to breach in the veil.
• The Inquisition is new power in the world. Not everyone is ready to see balance of power change in Thedas. There are those who would stand in your way and take their chances with the demons.

There may be more pieces of the story floating around the internet, but anything beyond what is listed here would almost certainly be classified as spoilers.

The Characters

The Inquisitor

The inquisitor is the main the character of the story. When the breach tore open the veil and killed thousands of people, only the inquisitor survived. The inquisitor is also the only one with the power to close the rifts and stop the demon invasion.

The inquisitor can be whoever you want them to be. As with most modern RPGs, the player has the power to set the race and class, alter the was the character looks right down to the hair color and facial tattoos.

Humans, elves, and dwarves are joined by the Qunari as playable races. Qunari can be all three classes (rogue, warrior, and mage) just like humans and elves. Dwarves still cannot be mages, but have a natural resistance to magical attacks.

Returning Characters

Morrigan from DA:O is back, but doesn’t appear to be a recruitable character this time around. Instead she is the “arcane advisor” of the empress of Orlais. Her role in the game’s story arc, and what all of this stuff has to do with the way DA:O ended remains to be seen.

Also returning from DA:O is Leliana. She is no longer the naive young chantry sister she was during the fifth blight. Now, she is “left hand of the Divine.” She carries out the wishes of the highest priestess of the Chantry, and often does so from the shadows.

From Dragon Age 2 there are two characters who return, and both are members of the inquisition. Varric Tethras, the game’s narrater, and Cassandra Pentaghast, the one who was interrogating him, both become members of the inquisition.

The only other confirmed character from past games that will make an appearance is Hawke, the hero of DA2. Hawke appears for just a few seconds in one of the trailers, but doesn’t appear in the character bios on DA:I’s website.

New Characters

If you’re worried by the above section that the entire cast is going to be made up of re-tread characters from the the first 2+ games in the series, you can relax. Bioware has created and included at least seven new characters who can be recruited to join the inquisition.

There is probably too many to be included here, but if you’re interested check out the game’s official website for full details.

One new character that is bound to draw some interest is Cole. He is a spirit that exists outside the fade, but doesn’t have a host body the way Justice did back in DA:A. He also doesn’t appear to be tied to a human emotion or ideal like every other spirt or demon in the series is. His story is bound to be interesting.

Author’s note: This was originally supposed to be Part 1 of a two-part preview. Part 2 has been cancelled since game reviews have come out. Now, lets kill some demons! (and maybe a few templars just for the fun of it)

Disclosure: Gamesided was not provided a preview copy of this game by Bioware, EA, or any of their affiliates: the author is just really excited for this game. No darkspawn were harmed in the writing of this preview. The same cannot be said for coffee beans.