After the events of Dragon Age II, the city of Kirkwall is safe at last — that is, until a new threat arises and threatens to send our champion to an early grave. It seems that Hawke’s unseen patriarchal progenitor has dabbled in some dark arts, and now the Hero of Kirkwall’s blood is going for a high price. Let’s just say Hawke’s got some daddy issues.
Set in the foreboding Vimmark caverns beneath the bustling cityscape, this enigmatic adventure — like the full game — tests your skill in overwhelming combat just as much as your mystery-solving chops. With Legacy’s brief content and relatively few side-quests (just three), though, it never achieves the same sense of scale as Dragon Age II’s main quest or similarly priced BioWare DLC. While Legacy does offer Hawke and company alternate choices, there’s little significance in whom you ally with. Deceptive forks aside, morality is only a small detail of this quest, not a cornerstone of the gameplay.
You’ll rekindle the joys of camaraderie, at least, as Hawke and his crew delve deep to settle some unfinished business in those murky depths. Witty banter and romantic asides (if you went down that road) are in full swing, and — together with some great voiceovers — make for a handful of great reasons why DAII diehards should return to Kirkwall.
Unfortunately, you’ll find fun-leechers in other places. While Legacy nearly escapes the bland-environment trend that plagues Dragon Age II, reused textures become overwhelming, with the prison walls beginning to meld together after a few hours spent in their holds. Also, without being too spoiler-ish, the final boss doesn’t exactly play fair: my team had more problems navigating the terrain than they did actually dishing out damage. Besides its arduous boss battles, the rest of the DLC isn’t overly difficult — Legacy has a few pockets of challenge, but nothing you didn’t face in the full game.
As far as story coherency, the DLC can be played at any point after settling in at Gamlen’s house or your own, because its inhabitants — like all the other enemies in the game — level along with you. This means you can actually play Legacy before Dragon Age II’s trip to the Deep Roads if you like; because you’ll be at a lower level, it’ll be easier for your party to coast through the darkspawn horde. Plus, you’ll sport a fancy new power weapon afterward, the likes of which aren’t really seen until the main game’s later areas.
At $10, Legacy is a bit overpriced for its shallow, brief amount of content, but whether it’s worth the money ultimately depends on your interest in the game’s expanded universe. If gaining some really neat insights into Hawke’s genealogy interests you, you’ll find Legacy a solid expedition; if it doesn’t, this DLC may be a fruitless adventure.
+ Gives players another chance to romp around with the team.
- Legacy is incredibly linear and lacks nearly any replay value. It can also feel like a glorified weapons quest.
? How did no one discover the giant prison overrun by demons? C’mon, guys.
