Summary
With the recenttrailer forDragon Age: The Veilguard, new players may be looking to go back and experience the rest of theDragon Age, though they might not be sure where to start. Except forDragon Age II, none of the previous games have a number associated with their title. There are also some game series where playing out of order doesn’t matter all that much. For example, many players likely jumped intoBaldur’s Gate 3without playing the previous installments, and they wouldn’t have missed much if they did.
Dragon Ageis a series of games where playing in order matters more than usual. Players jumping into the later games may find they’re missing some context for certain events in the game’s history. Similar totheMass Effectseries, BioWare also attempted to have the player’s choices influence each subsequent installment of the franchise, thoughDragon Agedoesn’t have the same kind of direct sequels asMass Effect. While players could likely enjoy any givenDragon Agegame on its own,the best way to start is at the beginning.
Dragon Age: Best Class To Pick In Each Game
There are three primary classes to choose from in every Dragon Age game, and each one comes with unique drawbacks and benefits to keep in mind.
Dragon Age: Origins Introduces The World And A Key Character
Dragon Age: Origins Was Originally Released In 2009
As the first game in the series,Dragon Age: Originsis tasked with introducing the player to the game’s setting, Ferelden, and the unique types of people and beings that inhabit it. The game takes place during what’s known as a Blight, an event where villainous creatures called the Darkspawn invade the world and attempt to reawaken an Archdemon, which is an ancient god in the body of a dragon. Players take the role of a Grey Warden, an organization tasked with combating the Blight.
Aside from being a good introduction to the world ofDragon Age, the events ofDragon Age: Originswill also have a ripple effect on the rest of the series. The player character from the game, known as The Warden or Hero of Ferelden in future installments, made a lot of big decisions that changed the course of history. While its sequels do have a way around this if players didn’t actually play the first game, the world of the series feels a lot more alive when it is built off choices the player made in their own playthrough.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard Preview: I’m Worried, But Maybe That’s The Inquisition Talking
I watched the first hour of Dragon Age: The Veilguard, and I can’t tell if I should legitimately be worried or if Inquisition looms over the series.
Dragon Age II’s Characters Return Later In The Series
Dragon Age II Was Originally Released In 2011
Dragon Age IIis the most polarizing game in the series. While the game received a lot of praise for the innovations it made toOrigins’ combat, it also received a lot of backlash for reusing many of the assets from the first game. This was due largely to the game’s quick development time, forcing developers to do what they could with the small window of time given to them.Dragon Age II’s story also split players, with some enjoying the new direction but others missing the epic stakes of the first game, which helped drive the plot.
Dragon Age IIalso introduced players tothe dwarf rogue Varric Tethras, who serves as the game’s narrator and a companion to the player character, Hawke. Varric has since become one of the most frequently appearingDragon Agecharacters, showing up inDragon Age: Inquisitionand the yet unreleasedDragon Age: The Veilguard. Hawke also shows up inDragon Age: Inquisition, and likeDragon Age: Origins, choices made inDragon Age IIwill impact the world of the third game.
Dragon Age: Inquisition Took What Worked Best From Previous Installments
Dragon Age: Inquisition Was Originally Released In 2014
From a gameplay standpointDragon Age: Inquisitionisthe most polished of the three releasedDragon Agegames. It takes the more tactical combat fromDragon Age: Originsand introduces some of the more fast-paced action ofDragon Age II. It also brought back the option to take a top-down look at the battlefield, allowing players to set up tactical moves with their companions while paused. Because it has the most streamlined combat, it can be hard to go back to older installments after playingDragon Age: Inquisition. Players looking to play the entire series should, therefore, play this last.
Its improved controls aren’t the only reason to saveDragon Age: Inquisitionfor last. Similar toDragon Age II,Dragon Age: Inquisitionbuilds its world on the player’s choices from the previous two games. Players have the option to record their choices in an online platform known asDragon Age Keep. Then, they can import their unique world state, determined by their previous choices, intoDragon Age: Inquisition. That way, when players run into characters from the previous twoDragon Agegames, their choices will be reflected in the world ofInquisition.
PlayingDragon Age: Inquisitionlast won’t just make the world feel more real, but it will also help players keep up with what’s going on.Dragon Agesequels don’t slow down too much to re-explain loreto newer players, so a player jumping into the series atInquisitioncould feel a little lost. Having the context of the previous two games to inform what characters are talking about when they discuss the Blight or other previous events will give the player a greater appreciation forDragon Age: Inquisition’s story.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard Will Continue The Series’ Tradition Of Building On Player Choice
Dragon Age: The Veilguard Will Release In 2024
SinceDragon Age: The Veilguardstill hasn’t been released, it’s hard to say exactly how important it will be to have played the previous installments. That said, BioWare has already announced that the game will integrate the player’s choices from previous games intoDragon Age: The Veilguard’s character creation process. Players will also be given the choice to recreate their Inquisitor from the third game at the beginning ofVeilguard.
Like previousDragon Agetitles, players will likely get more out ofVeilguard’s story if they have a personal connection to the world. This style of continuously allowing player choices to shape the world of future games means that theDragon Ageseries is always best played in order. While these choices don’t always have the biggest impact on subsequent games, it is still nice for players to feel like their older characters haven’t been forgotten.
