Experience the epic sequel to Dragon Age: Origins as you rise from desperate refugee to the legendary Champion of Kirkwall. Dragon Age II chronicles a decade of political intrigue, moral complexity, and explosive conflict where your decisions shape not just your story, but the fate of an entire city caught between order and chaos.
A Legend Told Through Fire and Blood
The Fifth Blight has consumed your homeland of Lothering, forcing you to flee with your family to the Free Marches city of Kirkwall. You are Hawke—and over the next ten years, you'll navigate the city's treacherous political landscape, choosing sides in conflicts between mages and templars, dealing with the Qunari occupation, and making choices that ripple across Thedas. Your story unfolds through the embellished tales of Varric Tethras, a charismatic storyteller being interrogated by the Chantry about your legendary deeds. This framing device creates a unique narrative structure where reality and reputation intertwine.
Dynamic Combat and Character Development
Dragon Age II refines BioWare's RPG formula with faster, more responsive combat that places you directly in the heart of battle. Whether you choose to play Hawke as a warrior, rogue, or mage, combat feels immediate and impactful while retaining the tactical depth the series is known for. Customize your abilities through extensive talent trees, and watch as your combat style evolves to match your choices. The streamlined inventory system lets you focus on the action rather than menu management, while companion customization through rings, amulets, and belts ensures your party remains uniquely yours.
Companions Who Remember Everything
- The Friend and Rival System
- Dragon Age II revolutionizes companion relationships by rewarding both friendship and rivalry. Unlike traditional approval systems that gate content behind positive relationships, here your companions react authentically to your decisions—agreeing or opposing based on their convictions. Whether a companion becomes your friend or rival, you'll gain unique passive bonuses and unlock their personal quests. This means you can play true to your convictions without fear of missing content, creating more authentic relationships where disagreement doesn't mean alienation.
- A Cast That Shapes Your Journey
- Assemble a diverse party of memorable characters, each with their own agendas, loyalties, and secrets. From the irreverent Varric who narrates your tale, to companions whose allegiances test your resolve, every relationship evolves based on your actions across the decade-long story. The Mass Effect-style dialogue wheel makes conversations flow naturally, letting you shape Hawke's personality through tone and choice rather than reading through lengthy response lists.
The Living City of Kirkwall
Unlike the sprawling journey across Ferelden in Origins, Dragon Age II focuses its narrative power on a single city that transforms around you. Kirkwall becomes a character itself—its districts changing across three distinct acts that span years. You'll witness the consequences of your choices ripple through the city's streets, see political powers shift, and watch as tensions between factions escalate toward an explosive conclusion. This concentrated setting allows for deeper exploration of how your actions affect a community over time, making every decision feel consequential.
Choices That Echo Across Time
- Import your Dragon Age: Origins save to see how the Hero of Ferelden's decisions shaped Thedas, with references and cameos acknowledging your previous adventure
- Experience a nonlinear narrative where Varric's storytelling allows you to replay events differently, exploring alternate scenarios and outcomes
- Navigate complex moral dilemmas where there are no clear right answers—only consequences you must live with
- Choose Hawke's class and gender, then shape their personality through dialogue choices that affect how the city remembers your Champion
The legend of your rise to power awaits. Will you be a diplomatic unifier or a ruthless force of will? A champion of the downtrodden or a pragmatic survivor? In Dragon Age II, the Champion of Kirkwall is whoever you choose to become—and the world will remember.
