Dragon Age Inquisition: Trespasser review

As PC Gamer's Chris Thursten pointed out when he reviewed Dragon Age Inquisition: Jaws of Hakkon, Bioware's DLCs tend to fall into a few broad categories. Jaws of Hakkon was a quality side-chapter that stood aside from the main campaign. The recent Descent was as disposable as Mass Effect 3's Omega—only made worse, because it was set in the bloody Deep Roads. Dragon Age Inquisition's final DLC, Trespasser, is the third type. It's a continuation of the main story that serves to set up the future and bid farewell to the past.

It's not on par with Mass Effect 3's exemplary Citadel, but then it doesn't need to be. Dragon Age's varied protagonists and settings mean the series isn't as suited to fourth-wall breaking sentimentality. It's not as funny, either. Nevertheless, Trespasser is a fitting conclusion to Inquisition—both its highs and its lows.

Trespasser progresses the timeline two years after the events of Inquisition. Divine Victoria—whoever that is based on your choices in the main game—calls for an Exalted Council at the Winter Palace to decide the fate of the Inquisition. Ferelden wants you disbanded, and your armies off their lawn. Orlais seeks to bring you under their direct control. It is heavily implied that this is one political situation you can't easily talk your way out of.

In other words, it's the same setup as used for many of Dragon Age: Inquisition's main missions. More than in any previous Dragon Age, Inquisition's protagonist exists as a political force—albeit one that is regularly called away to stab some demons. Here, too, your negotiations are cut short by the discovery of a dead Qunari soldier in the Palace's grounds. It's decided that, rather than continuing to make snide remarks at high-ranking officials, you should probably figure out how he got there.

Doing so takes you on a lengthy linear quest (around five to seven hours) that flits between multiple settings. Do you enjoy exploring the Deep Roads? I hope so, because there's yet another section in the Deep Roads. You'll get into plenty of fights along the way, but there's precious little to progress combat beyond what can be found in the 50+ hour main campaign. It's solid enough, but I still find myself constantly telling Varric to not run right up to the man with a giant axe.

I didn't find Trespasser's primary antagonist particularly compelling. As with everything rooted in Qunari values, an implacable sense of duty to the Qun lends an inevitability to even the most outrageous plans. More deft is the way the plot serves as an excuse to weave in threads left hanging from the main campaign. One of the DLC's early locations is a sanctuary belonging to Fen'Harel. If you finished Dragon Age: Inquisition, you'll know why that's significant. Also, a lot of the locations you visit aren't the Deep Roads, and look absolutely gorgeous.

Outside of the main quest, you get to hang out in the Winter Palace's courtyard. While there you can catch up with companions, and find out how each has spent the last couple of years. These opening vignettes as your reacquaint with your pals is a close to Citadel as Dragon Age has ever come. It doesn't entirely work. With no time to be eased into the joviality, these skits feel jarring—particularly Sera's bizarre prank sequence. It comes across as a forced attempt to top the sequence from the main campaign, but feels tonally out-of-place. Much better is the less visual reintroduction to The Iron Bull—a scene that's all the funnier for its more subtle nature. Plus, Cullen has a dog now. That's fun.

There's not much in the way of side-content, either. A few optional fights offer hidden treasures, and exploration can uncover stat bonuses. Trespasser also adds optional difficulty modifiers to the main game—everything from nerfing health potions to buffing bears—that offer the chance at special rewards. Ultimately, though, Trespasser is first and foremost Inquisition's epilogue. It offers a long, twisting mission, fun character moments and a satisfying pay-off. It's uneven, but worthwhile—just about justifying its £12/$15 price.