Updated 9-14-10
I’ll try and keep the spoilers to a minimum, but some are unavoidable if I’m going to review these.
I do realize that you can use the Toolset and Mods to create weapons and armor which far outshine anything a DLC is going to offer. These reviews are based on items which are only compared to what the game normally gives you.
All DLCs offer you new Trophy / Achievements (the same thing with a different name for Console / PC players.)
Golems of Amgarrak and Witch Hunt were long enough that I made them posts of their own.
Leliana’s Song
The appeal to Dragon Age for me has always been the interaction of characters and role playing / story aspect over the battles. That being said, I enjoyed Leliana’s Song for several reasons.
Out of all the DLCs this one was the most in depth in that respect. It was truly like a story focusing more on a lot of cut scenes / movies and character interactions.
If you like the battles don’t be completely turned off by that, because there were still small quests to do as well as fighting to be done. It wasn’t the Darkspawn Chronicles with a pretty much non-stop fight, however. Much as the title suggested, it was about Leliana’s story as told through her memories.
I found it very enjoyable from the role playing aspect as well as cinematic.
Like the others, it isn’t especially long, but it’s likewise not very expensive.
You go through the night streets of Denerim creating mischief, but also have numerous “new” places to explore. They’re probably recycled maps / areas, but it didn’t glare out to me except for Denerim – which would be obvious. They’re not very long, but my playing time was 1 hour 50 minutes the first time I went through it.
It does come with achievements and a unique item which shows up for all characters in Origins and Awakening.
If the cinematic aspects, character interactions, and story parts of Dragon Age bore you, then you might want to bypass this.
If you like Leliana and those aspects appeal, then you’ll probably find it worth your $5.00.
The Stone Prisoner
As I’m sure most people know, this adds Shale, the Golem to your party. Of course nothing is ever as easy as it sounds, or it wouldn’t be much fun for a video game, would it? This is the most expensive of the DLCs but it’s also the most involved.
You get two new places on your map with Shale, both of which require battle. These are actually new, and aren’t recycled. There’s a puzzle to solve, and numerous mid level unique items which you can win for your inventory.
In addition to extra places to play and level, you naturally get Shale in your camp and part of your party. It even has a personal quest just as Alistair / Wynne / Oghren / Sten do. Unlike them, however, Shale’s opens up the second new area of the map and a whole new place to travel. It’s not nearly as simple as dropping in to have a chat with a shrill tongued half sister or traipsing all over the forest to find one elusive elf.
Shale itself is not a bad “tank” character. Playing styles differ vastly, so I’m hesitant to recommend it as a party member. I, myself, use it constantly, but I also use Dog frequently.
Shale isn’t equipped like most of your characters and is like Dog in the aspect that you have 2 slots for it. One serves as armor, one as weapons. You equip it with special crystals you find along your way. The game will insert these in all kinds of random places just like normal treasure.
Personally, I don’t use Combat Tactics much and have never really used any of Shale’s special talents. It comes with an almost completely unique tree allowing you to hurl rocks and all sorts of things, but I find myself normally just letting the AI control it and do it’s thing by default.
Again, playing styles vary, so while this works for me, it might not for you.
Being an extra party member, Shale is fully integrated and will pipe up with ambient conversations with your party as well as get its own cut scenes. Some of them are pretty amusing.
I got Shale free but would I say it’s worth $15.00 to a hard core fan of Dragon Age who is going to play it over and over? Absolutely. Is it worth it for the player who is going to play DA:O once or twice then shelf it for six months? Maybe not.
Return to Ostagar
As the name suggests you get to go back to Ostagar in this one. Your best experience is to take Wynne and Alistair in your group because they’ll provide ambient conversation where others won’t.
If Wynne and Alistair drive you crazy and normally stay in your camp roasting smores while you go out and do the real work, you may not be too thrilled with that part.
You get to recover some nice unique weapons which I actually brought over to Awakening for awhile.
Play involves much killing of Darkspawn and opens up some new areas (although the map is from one of the Origin stories). You’re given the choice of putting King Cailan to rest and have some new cut scenes.
Overall, it’s your basic “dungeon crawl” fashion extension. I thought it was worth the $5 or $7 I paid for it. I don’t recall which it was.
Warden’s Keep
This one has one two features about it which I use constantly. After you complete it there’s a personal storage chest for your use as well as the option of creating the broad or two handed sword Starfang from an Easter Egg in the game. Starfang is the most powerful sword in Origins. If you want to know more, you can read about it in the WIKI
Yes, I know there are mods which do the same thing for storage. For those who are Console or feel like that’s cheating, however, you get the real deal in the vanilla game.
That aside, there are more medium grade unique items and a lot of creatures to plow through.
Unlike Return to Ostagar, you have two NPCs who are fully voiced which you interact with. Depending on who is in your party, most will pipe up with their own short cutscenes. I don’t recall if Wynne and Zevran have anything to say, but Alistair, Leliana, Shale, and Morrigan can depending on your choice of conversation.
There’s numerous short levels to explore and quite a few undead, demons and the like to slice and dice by the end. I imagine the maps have shown up somewhere before, but I didn’t recognize them. If they weren’t new, they felt like it to me.
I found it worth $7 and have played it every time I go through Origins.
The Darkspawn Chronicles
If you really love the characters in Origins and prefer to stick to being the “good guy” then you may want to bypass this.
As the name suggests, your main character is a Hurlock Vanguard in the thrall of the Archdemon.
You are evil, you are buff, and you are out to carve your way through all those pesky innocent civilians and annoying heroes! Burn towns, slaughter townsfolk, and beat down your minions into submission if they annoy you. There’s no nice little switching of party members for you, any more, oh no. If you want someone new you take a look at your group and decide who you like least. Kill them and you add your new recruit.
If you have someone in Origins who is part of your party and you just really, really find them annoying, try this DLC. You’ll see all of them throughout the game and get your chance to kill them all from Alistair to Zevran.
Which, I’ll admit, kind of made me feel bad in some cases. There was one character in particular which made it worthwhile for me, however, and it just felt incredibly therapeutic to finally kill them.
There’s quite a bit to do in this DLC, possibly even more than in the others. Although you have no real character interaction, it’s one wild ride of nothing but action / hack n’ slash. Unlike the others, it never slows down, so if you like a lot of battle, you may want to check this one out.
As a nice bonus, it’s a complete alternate reality, so it has all of it’s own Codex entries. You see how Ferelden might have gone had the Warden PC died at the Joining, leaving Alistair alone to try and stop the Blight.
The maps are all from Denerim so nothing new in that regard, just a ton of carnage.
Feastday Pranks and Gifts
This DLC is pure fun and there’s not much to either of them. They may make you laugh and give your group some perks, but for the most part they have no effect on anything.
The one exception is using the Gifts to boost your companions approval rates. All the fans out there who can’t manage to get Alistair / Morrigan / Leliana / Zevran into the tent, that will do it without the pesky hassle of speaking to them or playing the game… Yes, that was sarcasm. 😉
I did purchase these and they are cheap. I don’t really use them much except for humor value to annoy them severely at huge negative approval, then bring it back up with the Gifts so it’s where you left it.
Most of the items do have fun things they’ll do as a bonus, and are all functional.
Fun, but not much to it. The price on it it is right since this is the cheapest of all of them.
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