This is a lengthy post full of spoilers about one of several endings, it requires time to read and absorb, so if pressed for time or with lack of desire to read about an ending – move on now.

The point here isn’t to necessarily spoil the game however, it is to explain away players’ disappointment with the “Dark Ritual” ending as I heard and read many players are. It is important to note that the game does a very good job of ensuring that all rewards have their own consequences. Saving a life costs a life and eerie balance is at play the whole game through.

Dragon Age: Origins is a game that players should be really happy with in that it’s lived up to the title. It is a wonderful introduction to the world, the lore, and the idea of a much larger chain of events over the Blight and darkspawn. The very rich story with many layers and possibilities, converge on the night prior to the final battle with the Archdemon. Most of the storyline details aren’t in the character dialogue but in the numerous codexes found throughout the game. Codexes reveal the past and present on goings, motives of certain groups, and shed light on the who’s who in the game world. The main player character (henceforth “PC”) can come from one of 6 different beginnings and while the meat of the story will differ slightly, they’ll end up with more or less the same band of companions. How the companions feel about the PC hinge upon the choices made in what side-quests the PC embarks upon. Read more