The last hurrah.
The idea behind Trespasser is to provide closure for the Dragon Age: Inquisition saga after the big event that takes place at the end of the main game, and for the most part it does so successfully. In some ways, it’s modest. This final seven hours of story DLC doesn’t offer exciting loot to collect or huge environments to explore, but the story and combat left me feeling satisfied with the way things turned out for my Inquisitor and her merry band of adventures.
While investigating the sudden appearance of Quanari in the Orlasian Winter Palace during delicate diplomatic hearings, I explored lost elven ruins and discovered the truth behind a creature known as Fen’Heral and its connection to elves, plus heard tales of the origins of the Veil and the old gods. All this new information does a tidy job of tying up some of Inquisition’s loose ends, and does it in the same style that’s enriched the world of Thedas for the whole Dragon Age trilogy.
That said, there were a couple of places where the story stumbles. One particular curveball involving a member of the Inquisition felt too far out of left field, and I wasn’t keen on the way dealings with the Qunari were left unresolved. I did like that I was offered a few significant choices during my dealings with haughty Thedas diplomats, however. These decisions actually affected the ending to my story in a meaningful way, and it was fun seeing how events played out after the credits rolled.
Exploring the ruins revealed a nice diversity of locales in this DLC, which include a mine full of deadly explosives, a haunted library, and a lush green vale. Though you can’t go very far off the beaten path (which I didn’t mind, since lackluster loot lessoned my incentive to look for hidden areas) the frequent changes of venue prevented my journey from ever suffering from visual boredom.
Interestingly, the mix of narrow corridors and open courtyards had the added benefit of forcing me to change combat tactics frequently in battle, which kept the combat feeling just as fresh as the locations. Smashmouth tactics used by Qunari warriors and fleet-footed assassins kept me on toes, giving combat a frenzied feel that warded off repetitiveness whenever it threatened to rear its ugly head. In fact, even with two overpowered mages casting barrier and my Inquisitor wrecking enemies with an interesting new Anchor skill, I had to pause combat and reassess the situation more than once to ensure I had the advantage in battle. Even after conquering the campaign, the challenge is maintained here well.
Trespasser’s greatest strength, though, is the time spent between missions with party members. Amongst the flowers and water fountains of the Winter Palace courtyard, I loved watching Cullen bond with an adorable Mabari (a faithful dog breed that was a big part of Dragon Age: Origins), relaxing at a day spa with Viviene, and collecting pages from Varric’s latest novel around the palace. The camaraderie between my party members has always been a series highlight for me, and although none of the new conversations I had with my teammates in Trespasser were among their best or most poignant, the humorous dialogue and excellent voice acting left a smile on my face.
Dragon Age: Inquisition’s tale comes to a close not with a bang, not with a whimper, but with some satisfying closure and challenging combat met with allies that’ve become close friends. Even with a few stories left unresolved and a lack of new loot to drive me to explore its relatively narrow world, it was great saying goodbye to my friends and getting a sneak peek at what might yet be ahead for the denizens of Thedas.
